Home games for Ridgefield set for Saturday and Sunday
The Ridgefield Raptors are back home this weekend with a game Saturday night, and a Sunday matinee with hopes of helping fans celebrate Father’s Day. Children get in free Sunday with adults who have purchased tickets.
The Raptors won three in a row to close out their road trip, and they are 8-4 and in first place in the South Division of the West Coast League.
Records and standings do not matter much this weekend, though. The Raptors are taking on the Northwest Star Nighthawks in non-league competition.
The main thing for fans: Baseball will be back at The RORC for the first time in more than a week.
The Raptors opened the 2021 season at the Ridgefield Outdoor Recreation Complex with a non-league loss on June 2, then reeled off five wins in six games before heading on their first road trip.
That first homestand brought back memories of 2019, when the Raptors debuted. No, the crowds were not as big as that first opening night, but that was to be expected as some pandemic protocols remain in place.
Overall, though, the Raptors were thrilled with the first games at The RORC.
“It felt like a reunion,” said Gus Farah, the general manager of the Raptors. “It was one of the first mid-sized events in Clark County since the pandemic. Everybody was ecstatic to be outside, back to attending an event like that. We’re following the few rules that we have left until everything is lifted here shortly.”
School was not out that first homestand, and the weather was not always cooperative.
“Now that school is out and the weather is fantastic and looking like summer, my anticipation is we’ll get more demand,” Farah said. “So far, so good.”
So far, so good on the field, too.
“These guys are excited for some home cooking, and they’re playing really well right now,” Farah said.
The Raptors will return to WCL games Tuesday, the first in a three-game home series against Yakima Valley.
Notes
Ticket information: https://ridgefieldraptors.com/
Will Chambers (College of the Canyons) has continued his red-hot start to the season. He leads the West Coast League with 16 RBIs in the first 12 league games. He also is tied for the league lead in home runs with four, and is third in batting average at .419.
Coby Morales (Cypress College) has driven in 15 runs this season.
Nick Nygard (University of Portland, Columbia River HS grad) leads the team in ERA at 2.46 in four appearances. He has 15 strikeouts.
