Written by Raptors Broadcaster Patrick McColl

The Ridgefield Raptors are looking up after a plethora of new players helped the team just north of Oregon create their first winning streak of the season. While this occurs, the Bend Elks will land in Ridgefield for a three-game series from Friday to Sunday.

Ridgefield (4-7) has spent its early week in a battle with the Yakima Valley Pippins (3-8), another team from the South Division in the West Coast League (WCL). As of Thursday afternoon, the Raptors have taken the first two games of the series and look to sweep the Pips on Thursday night.

The Raptors newest players have already made big strides in their first series against Yakima Valley. Tarleton State catcher Brady Englett had two hits in his first start. Former Oklahoma Sooner Christian Hoffman homered in his first game on Tuesday, and returner Richard Tejeda has three hits in two games.

Gonzaga’s Landon Hood has already notched 14.1 innings and 17 strikeouts for the Raps. Hood’s 17 strikeouts are the most in the league, and the right-hander earned the win on Tuesday against Yakima Valley, going 5.1 innings. Reliever Michael Hoefgen impressed with a six strikeout save that spanned nearly four innings in the Game 1 win. 

Bend (5-6) comes into the series against the Raptors after a trip to Bellingham, Washington for three against the Bells. Through the first two games of the series, the Bells have outscored the Elks by five and won Tuesday and Wednesday. The Elks are 5-6 on the season. Ridgefield started its season at Bend, and lost two of its three games against the Elks.

The Bend bats are led by Portland Pilot Jace Miller, who has 14 hits in nine games. Miller’s 14 hits is tied for fourth most in the WCL and he leads the league in doubles (six). Tulane’s John-Paul Sauer is the Elks leader in innings (12) and is second in strikeouts (10).

Game 1 of the series against Bend will start on Friday at 6:35 p.m. Game 2 on Saturday will also start at 6:35 p.m. while Sunday’s game will begin at 1:05 p.m.

Tickets to the home series against Bend at the Ridgefield Outdoor Recreation Complex (RORC) are available on ridgefieldraptors.com. The live stream to watch or listen to the games against Bend will be available on ridgefieldraptors.com/stream. #GoRaps