Riverhawks Split Double Header, Earn First Win!

2023-06-10

After dropping game one 7-2, the Hawks pull off a game two W 3-2

By Cody Schmidt

It was a wild pair of games today as the Edmonton Riverhawks split a double header against the Cowlitz Black Bears. The first game went down as a loss for the Hawks, 7-2 as their two-out 7th inning rally wasn’t enough to come back. Game two was the Edmonton squad’s first win of the season as they took it to an extra innings, or as extra as the 8th can be in the shortened double header games.

#45 KJ Ward started the first game of the day, pitching 4.0 innings and getting roughed up for four runs, three of which were earned. He gave up five hits, walked a pair, and struck out three. It was a step down from Ward’s prior start where he went for six scoreless innings, but he did settle down for the 3rd and 4th innings. An error cost Ward the initial Bears run in the 1st, and a walk, a fielder’s choice and four singles cashed in a trio of runs in the 2nd for the Bears.

The Riverhawks’ pair of runs came in the 6th and 7th innings, first as #15 Daniel Calabrese hit a first pitch single, was driven to third by #1 Kelly Corl, then sent home by #14 Tommy Takayoshi. The second run came off #6 Brett Ott reaching by base on a dropped third strike with two outs. Keeping the game alive temporarily, Ott scored as he advanced on a wild pitch, a #11 Ren Yokoyama single, and a Calabrese RBI hit.

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Edmonton’s first win came from an 8th inning two-out rally. First, #19 Will Gardner was hit by a pitch, then driven to second of a Corl hit. Calabrese reached and Gardner scored off a Black Bears E5, to edge the lead and earn the win.

The Riverhawks initially scored in the top of the 6th, as #34 Nico Libed hit a first pitch single, then gets driven all the way home as Gardner hit an infield bunt RBI hit, getting all the way to second on an error. After a wild pitch, Gardner was able to get around as Calabrese hit a sac fly

In game two #3 Dallin Harrison pitched a near perfect gem through his first five innings, sitting down fourteen out of his first fifteen batters. The only initial problem for Harrison was a one run homer in the 2nd. Harrison hit a bit more trouble in the 6th, as a costly E5 ended up letting the Black Bears tie the game before Harrison’s shift on the mound ended.

Game two also saw 2.0 innings of relief from #40 Shaun Atamanchuk, who helped hold back the Black Bears despite a tense bases loaded situation in the 7th and held the lead with a three-up-three-down 8th, even fielding the final play.

Tomorrow brings the rubber match of the series against Cowlitz, and the Riverhawks’ first chance to win a set of the season. Monday will be a travel day for the team as they prepare for the June 13 home opener!

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Grab your seats now, because tickets for every Riverhawks home game are on sale at tickets.gohawks.ca. We’ll see you at RE/MAX Field!