Written by Raptors Broadcaster Hunter Shumake
While on the road, the Raptors clinched the Columbia River Cup for the second consecutive year. The Raptors entered the second series against the Black Bears with a 3-0 advantage in the Columbia River Cup. Of the four games scheduled to be played at David Story Field, the Raps needed just one victory against Cowlitz to take the cup. The Raptors succeeded in securing the cup when they took down Cowlitz in game one of the double header on Tuesday.
The Raptors start a six game homestand at the Ridgefield Outdoor Recreation Complex to conclude their regular season schedule at home. Of the two series that will be played at the RORC, the Springfield Drifters will be the first test for the Raptors. Coming into this series, the Springfield Drifters currently have a second half record of 8-10 with an overall record of 19-24. Going into the final game against the Cowlitz Black Bears, Ridgefield has a second half record of 11-7 and an overall record of 29-15.
The first time that Ridgefield faced Springfield was on June 30th-July 2nd. In that series at the Hamlin Sports Complex, Ridgefield took two of three games against the Drifters. That series was highlighted by game one when Ridgefield won 6-0 after a great 6 inning start from pitcher Sawyer Parkin. Offensively, the Raptors put the game away with 4 runs in the 8th.
In their past ten games, the Springfield Drifters hold a record of 7-3. The Drifters have played three contests of a four game series against the Portland Pickles and have been victorious in the first three. Going into the final game of the series against Portland, the Springfield Drifters are on a five game winning streak.
Since Ridgefield prevailed in the first half of the regular season, they have clinched a berth into the West Coast League post season; however, homefield advantage is still up for grabs for the playoffs. Looking past the first round of the playoffs, home field advantage for the second round and the championship game will be determined by overall win percentage. Currently, Corvallis has an edge over the Raptors. The Raps now find themselves two games behind Corvallis and they look to better their overall win percentage to aid them in finding home field advantage.
The first pitch against Springfield is scheduled for Friday, July 28th at 6:35 PM PDT at the RORC. For more information, visit ridgefieldraptors.com. #GoRaps