By Cody F. Schmidt

A light rain didn’t keep the Edmonton Riverhawks down tonight, as they were able to stay ahead of the Bellingham Bells for their first win of the season. The Hawks once again struck early and remained unfazed even as the Bells were able to crack a pair of solo homers against them. Avoiding getting walked off for the second game in a row, tonight’s 3-2 win was is also the earliest win the Hawks have had in a season so far.

Another early start on the scoreboard for the Riverhawks, as they gained the first run of the game in the 3rd. It was #3 Michael Soper who shot a two-out double into the outfield, then #36 Jakob Poturnak cashed him by reaching on an error and bringing Soper around to home. After a Bells pitching change in the 5th both #9 Madihutt Tabata and #10 Dimitri Shakotko earned full count walks, then a fielder’s choice by Soper and Poturnak groundout sent Tabata around to score.

The Bells’ pitching staff helped the Hawks out, walking the leadoff batter in three straight innings, which paid off again in the 6th as #47 William Vasseur was gifted the free pass. A blast over the right fielder’s head sent #5 Bryce McFeely to third base with a sliding triple, and scored Vasseur.

Starter #32 Vicarte Domingo was strong from the beginning of the game, retiring his first seven batters faced. After allowing a pair of base runners in the 3rd, Domingo locked back in and only allowed another single as he worked through 5.0 innings with five swinging strikeouts and only one walk.

Coming in for the 6th was #31 Noah Bourgeois who returns to the Riverhawks for his second season. Starting with a scoreless inning, Bourgeois was tagged for a pair of solo homers in the 7th before being relived with two outs in the frame. #16 Tylor Jans took over for the final out of the inning, clearing it with a single pitch. Back in the 8th, Jans notched three strikeouts, interrupted by a walk for his only credited baserunner. The 9th belonged to #27 Brendan Loeppky, a third-year Riverhawk who was able to hang onto the game notching a strikeout against a walk and a single.

The Hawks’ bats were a bit quieter tonight compared to the first game of the year, but the Bells helped them along by handing out six walks to the Hawks through the game. Poturnak kept his hot start to the season with a pair of RBI despite not registering a scored hit in the game. McFeely blasted a pair of extra base hits, and both #3 Michael Soper and Shakotko stole bases in the game.

Now sitting 1-1 on the season, the Hawks will look to play the rubber match in Bellingham tomorrow afternoon, weather permitting.

It’s less than a week until the Hawks’ June 7 Home Opener, the first of nine straight home games! It will be a thrilling home opener including a spectacular Indigenous Peoples performances and a dazzling display by Uncle John’s Fireworks after the game. That’s just the start of a packed promo schedule, which includes tons of fun theme nights and wacky promotions. Swifties, wrestlers, fire breathing dragons, dogs and more - you never know what you might see! Check out the full promotion schedule here. Get your tickets now for the home opener and every other game this season at tickets.gohawks.ca