RIDGEFIELD — Sometimes, much-needed wins can still feel weird.
In an all-too-important week of 2A Greater St. Helens League baseball games playing four contests over five days, Ridgefield’s result Friday was one head coach Nick Allen hadn’t seen in the 10 previous meetings versus Hockinson.
The weird part, Allen said, his team’s 14-7 win is its either team’s largest margin of victory against one another dating back 10 games.
Just in the previous eight matchups, Ridgefield or Hockinson won by an average of 2.1 runs. The teams’ first meeting March 28 resulted in a 5-4 win by Hockinson.
“In five years,” he said, “we’ve never had a game like this.”
Ridgefield’s 14 runs on 18 hits were both season highs to keep the Spudders 9-5 overall, 4-2 league) in a second-place tie in the 2A Greater St. Helens League. Their final game of the week is at noon Saturday at Columbia River.
All but one player in the lineup had a hit against the Hawks. Spencer Andersen, Kellen Bringhurst and Tim Radosevich each had three hits and combined to drive in nine runs. Through four, Ridgefield led 12-6.
“That was pretty impressive,” said Andersen, who went 3-for-3 with two runs scored and three RBI. “One through nine has been hitting really good.”
For Allen, the offense outburst was a welcoming feat, too. He said postgame he didn’t know how his team would respond initially after Thursday’s 9-8 defeat to R.A. Long in a rain-suspended game from last week. At one point, their largest lead was 8-0 before the Lumberjacks’ comeback.
His worry was put to rest early Friday.
“We came in with a lot of focus,” Allen said, “and they did what they’re good at. They hit.”
Ridgefield scored 10 runs over the first three innings, but Hockinson (6-6, 3-3) responded with six runs through four.
Matt Henry’s two-out, two-RBI single in the second tied the game at 3-3. Henry, Sawyer Racanelli and Noah Stecher each had two hits to lead Hockinson.
Bringhurst had a game-best five RBIs, and the first two came on a two-run single that ultimately gave the Spudders the lead for good. Ridgefield led by seven runs twice.
Allen said he hasn’t used the same battling lineup all season, but knows no matter what lineup he pencils in, the offense can produce Friday’s outcome.
“We ran out those nine today and tomorrow we’ll run a different nine and they’re capable of scoring that many again,” he said.
