The Ridgefield Raptors are heating up as they prepare for their final road trip of the regular season. Ridgefield embarks on a six-game swing to face the Corvallis Knights and Springfield Drifters before returning home to close out the regular season.
The Raptors have reestablished themselves as one of the West Coast League’s most dangerous offenses over the past week and a half. Ridgefield continues to lead the league in home runs, RBIs, slugging percentage and on-base percentage, while ranking among the top teams in nearly every major offensive category.
Just nine days ago, the outlook was much different. On July 17, the Raptors had dropped 10 consecutive games and were still searching for their first win of the second half.
Despite the skid, longtime head coach Chris Cota never lost confidence.
“I’m not worried,” Cota said. “We’ve never lost nine in a row, but we’ll figure this out.”
The Raptors have done exactly that, winning seven of their last eight games to build momentum heading into the postseason. Ridgefield took two of three games in Bend against the Elks, won two of three against the Berries, then capped the homestand with a three-game sweep of the Elks.
The offense has returned to its first-half form. Over the final five games against the Elks this season, the Raptors scored 65 runs, punctuated by five home runs in Sunday’s 16-3 victory.
Josh Proctor (Oregon State) earned West Coast League Player of the Week honors after batting .391 (9-for-23) with four home runs and 15 RBIs.
Braden Watson (Evansville) has also remained red hot. Over his last six games against the Elks, the Purple Ace hit .625 (15-for-24) with three doubles, three home runs and 17 RBIs.
Corvallis, meanwhile, has found its stride at the right time. With nine games remaining in the regular season, the Knights sit at 24-21 and hold a two-game lead over the Portland Pickles (22-23) in the race for the South Division’s second postseason berth.
By clinching the West Coast League First Half title, the Raptors secured the No. 1 seed in the South Division playoffs. Ridgefield will open the best-of-three opening round on the road before hosting Games 2 and 3, if necessary, at the Ridgefield Outdoor Recreation Complex.
Fans can visit ridgefieldraptors.com to purchase tickets for the Raptors’ final regular-season home series against the Corvallis Knights, Aug. 3-5, as well as postseason tickets. Livestreams of every Raptors game are also available at ridgefieldraptors.com/stream.