Riverhawks and Raptors Ready to Rumble

2023-06-06

Both teams were swept in opening series, Hawks still look for first win

By Cody Schmidt

After being swept by the Bells over the weekend the Edmonton Riverhawks look to commiserate with a team in similar straits as they face the Ridgefield Raptors. This road series will prove to be a solace for one of the teams in the matchup, as both stand with 0-3 records entering play. The Raptors faced the wrath of the 2022 WCL champ Corvallis Knights, getting outscored 23-8 over the opening series.

While the Raptors have been put in a similar place as the Hawks, this will still be no easy series for the Edmonton team. The Riverhawks were able to win the season series over the Raptors last year, including getting the upper hand in a 13-12 slugfest. While the Hawks also started off last season with a sweep, they’ll try to improve on their second series record and take at least two against Ridgefield in the inter-division matchup.

On the mound for the Riverhawks tonight is left-handed Brampton, ON native #8 Matthew Ridsdale. Ridsdale attends the University of Alberta, and was a participant in the Edmonton Collegiate Hawks program over the last two seasons. In six starts this spring Matthew held a 4.61 ERA over 27.1 innings. Ridsdale was able to pitch 6.0 innings deep twice in April, meaning he is stretched out and able to provide a solid start for the Riverhawks.

Coming from the Collegiate Hawks means an already established rapport with head coach Jake Lanferman. The skipper had this to say when discussing the difference between the CCBC and the WCL:

“The step from the CCBC to the WCL is significant and can be difficult, but the guys we have from Edmonton Collegiate will be capable of finding success if they stick to their game. I'm proud of those players for having such strong seasons this past spring, and hopefully, they can continue to find success on a bigger, more challenging stage.”

Joining Ridsdale on the field today is the following lineup:

1- #15 Daniel Calabrese CF

2- #2 Jack Wheatley SS

3- #36 Jakob Poturnak 3B

4- #10 Jonny McGill RF

5- #28 Mark Ossanna 1B

6- #19 Will Gardner LF

7- #6 Brett Ott DH

8- #14 Tommy Takayoshi C

9- #11 Ren Yokoyama 2B

P- #8 Matthew Ridsdale LHP

Tonight’s away game against the Raptors starts at 7:35PM MST. You can follow along with the Ridgefield broadcast on YouTube, or via WCL Live. You can also follow along with play-by-play action on Twitter via @RiverhawksGames.

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