Written by Raptors Broadcaster Patrick McColl

After a competitive week in the West Coast League (WCL), the Ridgefield Raptors are returning to their roots at the Ridgefield Outdoor Recreation Complex (RORC) for a three-game series against the Springfield Drifters from Tuesday to Thursday.

Ridgefield (8-13) did not win a game against the Corvallis Knights at Goss Stadium this weekend, but the Raptors held a lead in the last inning in two games and lost by just one run in all three games.

California State Dominguez Hills transfer Noah Karliner continued his power spell last week and now has six home runs and 20 RBI this season. Against Corvallis, Karliner hit a home run in Game 1 and sits second in the WCL in home runs. Nevada infielder Jackson Waller’s 10 game hit streak ended in Corvallis, but the senior has still hit .460 this season, which leads the Raps.

Several Raptors pitchers impressed against the Knights during Sunday’s doubleheader. Starter Owen Harper threw four scoreless innings in the second game of the doubleheader. Two-way man Dylan Osborne did not allow a run in 1.2 innings. Southern Nevada’s Boston Jensen threw a clean three innings of work, allowing no runs during the first game on Sunday.

Springfield (7-11) played the Cowlitz Black Bears at home last weekend, winning only the last game of three, 2-0. The Drifters have not played the Raptors yet this year but finished 0-6 against Ridgefield in 2024.

The Drifters offense is largely aided by Michigan infielder Cooper Mullens, who leads the team with 22 hits. Mullens is a .328 hitter and recently had five hits in a win at Bend, where he earned a triple, a double and two RBI.

On the pitching side, the Drifters rely on starter Matthew Tacheny, who has a 3.37 ERA through two starts and 13.1 innings. Reliever Michael Klein’s 13 strikeouts leads the Drifters.

All three games against Springfield will start at 6:35 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Fans can go to ridgefieldraptors.com to purchase tickets to the home series against Springfield at the RORC. The live stream to watch or listen to the games against Springfield will be available on ridgefieldraptors.com/stream. #GoRaps