Written by Raptors Broadcaster Patrick McColl
The Ridgefield Raptors are headed back down the interstate to test the Portland Pickles this weekend in a South Division matchup. The series will start Friday and conclude Sunday night.
Before Game 3 on Thursday night, Ridgefield lost the first two games of its series against the Corvallis Knights. The losses have put the Raptors record at 13-22, while Corvallis is 22-10.
The story of the series for the Raptors has been the bat of Noah Karliner. The outfielder needs just one more home run to tie the Raps single season record of 14. Karliner is also 11 RBI away from matching Caden Connor’s 2021 record of 51 in a season. In Game 1 against the Knights, Karliner hit a grand slam and a double.
Ridgefield reliever Ryan McClaskey (Northwestern Oklahoma State) has just a 2.66 ERA this season and has thrown in 12 games and 20.1 innings. Maryland commit Joe Fredericks and South Korean native HyunWook Lee have both started six games, which is tied for the most on the Raptors.
Portland holds the league’s best record (25-6). The Pickles started the second half with a 4-2 record after capturing the South Division title in the first half. Portland has not had a West Coast League (WCL) series since they lost two out of three against the Marion Berries from Friday to Sunday.
Outfielder Josh Schleichardt has been the best bat in the Portland lineup all summer. The outfielder has tied the WCL’s single season home run record (15) and needs just one more home run to break it. Schleichardt’s 50 RBI is four from the single season record of 54, set in 2017 by Taylor Wright (Kelowna Falcons) and Evan Johnson (Wenatchee AppleSox).
As a team, Portland’s 2.51 ERA ranks first in the WCL. Pickles pitchers have 247 strikeouts and only 85 walks allowed, lowest in the league.
Game 1 of the Portland series starts at 7:15 p.m. Game 2 will go at 7:10 p.m. and Sunday’s finale will start at 6:15 p.m. at Walker Stadium. After the series, Ridgefield will play a Monday night doubleheader against Cowlitz, completing a suspended game from earlier in the season.
Fans can go to ridgefieldraptors.com to purchase tickets to the upcoming home games against Cowlitz at the RORC. The live stream to watch or listen to the games against Portland and Cowlitz will be available on ridgefieldraptors.com/stream. #GoRaps