RIDGEFIELD — Jude Amundsen and Jacoby Amundsen had a new roommate move in a few days ago, and Tuesday night they finally got to see him in action.
Jude, 4, and Jacoby, 6, and their parents are a host family for one of the Ridgefield Raptors, the new West Coast League team that kicked off its inaugural season in the city Tuesday night.
“It’s like they had a really good friend move in,” said Jessica Amundsen, their mother, of Vancouver. “They just hang out talking about baseball.”
They’ve been anxiously waiting to see the Raptors take the field, along with plenty of others in Ridgefield and the greater Clark County area.
“What is exciting about this is it’s not only Ridgefield’s team, but it’s for all of Southwest Washington,” Ridgefield Mayor Don Stose said. “When we announced the team, we had a letter signed by all the mayors in the county expressing their excitement.”
Stose got to play a special part in Opening Day on Tuesday: he threw out the ceremonial first pitch. He said he warmed up for about 30 minutes before taking the mound, and he’s going to display the ball in a case on his desk.
“All he had to do was put it over the plate, and he did that,” City Manager Steve Stuart said. “It looked like a strike to me. It was an A-plus performance, especially in front of all these people.”
Raptors General Manager Gus Farah estimated about 2,100 people were in attendance Tuesday night. By the time gates opened about an hour before the first pitch, more than 130 people were on line waiting to get into the new Ridgefield Outdoor Recreation Complex. The six-field, $20 million joint project paid for by the city and located on Ridgefield School District property on Northwest Hillhurst Road is also home to Ridgefield High School sports and Ridgefield Little League. On Tuesday, there were plenty of kids chasing foul balls and devouring shaved ice while wearing their Little League gear.
“The kids are in awe of it all,” said Matt Criss, coach of the 12- and 13-year-old Cubs in Ridgefield Little League. “They’re already learning a lot from the mentoring partnership with the Raptors. The players just got here, but they’ve already been out a few times on the field with our kids.”
Plenty of those Little League hats turned to Raptors hats once the gates opened. By the first inning, Ridgefield High School senior Caitlin Kong, who was working the merchandise booth, estimated she sold more than 100 hats and 100 maroon T-shirts.
“People really want this gear,” she said. “They’re excited for the team.”
Kong, who will head to Oregon State University in the fall, said she was excited to get a summer job that would allow her to interact with people and be friendly. She had a steady stream of customers from the second the gates opened, especially with a few large groups, like the Little Leaguers, in attendance. Criss was there with a group of 40-plus players and relatives sitting down the left field line on opening day.
“My goal (on opening day) is to sit with my family and have a moment to take this all in,” Stuart said. “I hope every family here has a moment like that.”
Once pre-game festivities were over, Stuart was anxious to take his seats behind home plate.
“I bought season tickets,” he said. “I live here. This is my community.”
Yakima Valley defeated the Raptors, 4-3.
