RIDGEFIELD — Officially, it’s name is the Ridgefield Outdoor Recreation Complex.
For short, The RORC, as in rhymes with pork.
But maybe a more apt moniker would be “Ridgefield of Dreams.”
Clark County’s newest multi-purpose sports complex hosted its first event Friday and drew raves from many sources.
Ridgefield High School baseball coach Nick Allen called it “a game-changer.”
Senior Kellen Bringhurst said it was awesome.
And longtime Ridgefield football and baseball coach Art Osmundson called it beautiful.
“I don’t think any of us who were around when I first started at Ridgefield in 1977 could have ever imagined having something as wonderful as this,” Osmundson said of The RORC.
Osmundson was one of many local dignitaries who were on hand for a ribbon-cutting ceremony prior to Ridgefield High School’s baseball game against Kalama on Friday.
After Osmundson was called upon to throw the ceremonial first pitch, the Spudders took the field against Chinook under conditions — 38 degrees — that could hardly be described as baseball weather.
But things would heat up quickly for Ridgefield fans when Bringhurst opened the bottom of the first with a walk, then scored the game’s first run on a double by Josh Mansur.
Bringhurst would go on to be the star of Friday’s opener as the Spudders beat Kalama 3-0.
Bringhurst threw four innings of hitless relief and delivering the first home run at the RORC with his solo blast into the bullpen in left field in the third inning.
“It was always in the back of my mind — who was going to be the first guy to hit one out here,” Bringhurst said. “I didn’t know it was going to be me. But it was awesome. The feeling of it off the bat was great. It was sweet.”
Bringhurst’s home run ball was retrieved. Ridgefield city manager Steve Stuart presented it to the senior to sign, saying it would put on display at city hall.
The rain — or even snow — stayed away, which was good news for the fans who attended, even though with the RORC’s all-weather turf fields, rain would not have prevented Friday’s game from being played.
That’s a big plus for the Spudders.
“In high school baseball in Washington, the 32 days of practice you get are precious,” Allen said. “And being able to utilize all 32 of those days is huge for us.”
There will be more baseball Saturday with 10 teams coming to Ridgefield to take part in a preseason jamboree.
A week from Saturday, the RORC will host high school tournament in which the Spudders will host Lynden, North Kitsap, W.F. West, R.A. Long, Ellensburg, Prosser and Pullman.
The facility, which will host the Ridgefield Raptors college wood-bat baseball team this season, features six multi-sport turf fields for baseball, softball, Little League, soccer, football and more.
“Some people might complain about the cost to taxpayers,” Osmundson said. “But look at this place. This will benefit the people of Ridgefield for years to come.”
