By Cody F. Schmidt

The Edmonton Riverhawks got ahead early and poured it on late to close out their series win against the Ridgefield Raptors 10-4. The win also brings the team to the .500 mark on the season, evening out their record as they head back to Edmonton.

The Hawks grabbed their first run in the 2nd, with #5 Bryce McFeely taking a leadoff walk, then moving up on a #9 Mahidutt Tabata single and a passed ball. A ground out from catcher #25 Colin Fisher sent McFeely home and gave the Riverhawks the slim opening lead. A second run came in the 3rd as the first pitch of the frame plunked #6 Taichi Nakao. Against a new arm after a Ridgefield injury, Nakao stole second then was near-immediately driven home with a single from #36 Jakob Poturnak.

Continuing the inning-by-inning amassment of runs, the Hawks scored a third in the 4th, Tabata doubled, rocketing to third on a #12 Rex Watson groundout. Scored on a #25 Colin Fisher ground ball, the inning finished quickly after Tabata crossed the plate. The scoring kept up in the 5th, as Nakao earned a leadoff hit and #35 Trent Lenihan joined him on the base paths a few hitters later. With two outs in the frame, McFeely shot a base hit into the outfield, and it was enough for both runners to score, ending up a 2 RBI double.

Late-game insurance came in the 9th, with just a one-run lead Fisher singled and #4 Ryan Kucy walked to create a one-out threat on the base paths. Nakao hit a liner single up the middle to score both runners, then Poturnak followed with his third single of the game. The inning repeated itself as another wild pitch sent the runners up, then a third errant throw brought Nakao home. #47 William Vasseur got his first hit of the game late, singling to get Poturnak across the plate. Hits continued down the lineup, before McFeely sacrificed to bring home Vasseur.

Making his first appearance of the season, starter #40 Hayden Morrison kept the Raptors quiet through the early frames. Aside from a pair of hits in the 1st, the only other early issue for Morrison were plunked leadoff hitters in back-to-back innings. Thankfully, neither runner made it home, keeping the dramatics low in the first third. The 4th had the strongest Raptors hit off Morrison yet, a leadoff laser single, and he wasn’t able to contain this runner giving up a run before his night ended after 3.2 innings of work.

The side-winder #30 Tyler McGowan took over from Morrison, tossing the final out of the 4th for a strikeout. He came back for the 5th, and while he was beat out by the runner for a leadoff hit he turned around to strike out the next two batters. After a couple of hits scored the Raptors’ second run, he induced an easy fly to keep the Hawks ahead.

In the 6th, the left handed #37 Nate Charlton came in and induced a trio of pop-ups to have a four pitch inning. Playing the matchups, Charlton was relieved after one hitter in the 7th, giving up a walk and finishing with a 1.1 inning outing. Taking over was #20 Max Benton, who ran into trouble as a pair of runs scored from a passed ball and a line out in the 7th. The bullpen parade continued into the 8th, with #13 Kai Fyke taking the mound. The fireballer made quick work of the Raptors he faced, with a 1-2-3 8th, and only allowed a double off a defensive mishap in the 9th.

An off day tomorrow leads to the Riverhawks Home opener on 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