By Cody F. Schmidt

A back and forth bout ended with the Ridgefield Raptors beating the Edmonton Riverhawks 3-2. Early chances didn’t pay off, and Ridgefield was able to break through strong Hawks pitching for a trio of runs. The Hawks move to 1-3 on the season, but still have a pair of games to play before heading home on Friday.

The Hawks threatened early with a 3rd inning rally, #9 Mahidutt Tabata, #10 Demitri Shakotko, and #36 Jakob Poturnak all singled to load the bases with just a single out. The Raptors foiled the hitting spree by nabbing a foul ball in shallow right and preventing any Edmonton runners from tagging up by tossing the ball back in quickly.

Finally hitting the scoreboard in the 6th, #5 Bryce McFeely replaced Poturnak on the paths with a fielder’s choice, then was moved up by a McGill HBP before a #6 Taichi Nakao single sent him home. A pair of hit batters followed, loading the bases and scoring the then-leading run, but a 4-6 double play spoiled any more chances to extend the lead.

In their final chance, the Riverhawks came close, as #12 Rex Watson bounced a double off the right field fence, then Tabata belted a single to put Hawks on the corners. After a fly out too shallow to tag on #3 Michael Soper blasted a shot to right, but the ball died on the warning track and ended Edmonton’s night.

Starter #14 Tate Dearing was locked in early tonight, taking the mound and taking control with five strikeouts in the first two innings. Dearing continued well through the 3rd, retiring eight consecutive Raptors, but the 4th gave Tate a bit too much trouble. After a lead off HBP was erased with a 4-3 double play, two singles and a walk gave the Raptors their first run of the year. Removed after 3.2 innings of work, Dearing only had the single walk and four hits against his record.

Finishing off the 4th was #34 Dakota Todd, inducing an easy groundout to begin his appearance. Continuing to pitch with ease, Todd followed with a perfect 5th, but the Raptors pushed with a double, single, and a tag on a foul fly to tie the game in the 6th. Tossing his two strike outs in the 7th, the Raptors struck again with a single and an automatic double scoring off a passed ball. With two earned runs over 3.0 innings of pitching, Todd carried the team through the middle innings, just faltering at the end of his appearance.

With two outs in the 7th, #21 Myles Chamberlain made quick work of the remaining batter, inducing a grounder. Striking out the first Raptor he met in the 8th, Chamberlain completed a scoreless inning.

The series with the Raptors continues through the week, before an off day Thursday leads to the Riverhawks Home opener Friday June 7! 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