Skyview grad Jennings pitches Raptors past Bend, 5-1

RIDGEFIELD – Pitching a few miles north of where he went to high school, Nick Jennings looked right at home.

The Skyview graduate threw six shutout innings as the Ridgefield Raptors beat the Bend Elks 5-1 their West Coast League opener Friday at Ridgefield Outdoor Recreation Complex.

Jennings allowed just four baserunners – three singles and a walk. The right-hander struck out nine and retired 13 in a row at one point.

A run in the second and a four-run third inning, keyed by Will Chambers’ two-run homer, was all the support Jennings needed.

Jennings, who pitched for Eastern Oregon this spring, challenged Bend hitters in the strike zone, getting ahead early in the count. Of the 21 hitters he faced, only four hit balls that left the infield.

“It’s just a mentality of getting ahead and throwing strikes,” Jennings said. “I just put it over the plate, basically, and have fun. It’s baseball.”

Jennings hopes Ridgefield’s win Friday, and his performance, helps set a winning standard for this summer.

“It was definitely a tone-setter,” he said. “It was a good win with a great bunch of guys. I’m looking forward to the rest of the season, honestly.

Three moments

Berm bomb – Chambers notched Ridgefield’s first home run of the season in the third inning. He hit a high fly to right field that rode the wind, landing on the top of the grass berm behind the fence. The two-run shot gave the Raptors a 3-0 lead.

Comeback averted — Bend’s best scoring chance came in the top of the seventh, when the Elks loaded the bases on three walks. With two out, Tommy Davis beat out an infield single. Trailing runner Brett Joner, a Battle Ground grad, tried to score a second run when the throw to first short-hopped Coby Morales. But the Raptors first baseman quickly gathered the loose ball and threw out Joner by two steps.

Short hit, long run – A tapper 10 feet in front of home plate helped Ridgefield turn a good inning into a great one. Cole Urman would have been safe on the short infield single, but the play drew a wild throw from Bend’s catcher. That let Kody Darcy score and Urman reach third. Urman then stole home when Trevor Torpa ran from first, drawing a throw to second. Those two runs were part of a four-run third inning that gave Ridgefield a 5-0 lead.

Three players

Tanner Jacques – Jennings wasn’t the only Skyview grad to make an impact. Jacques drove in the Raptors’ first run, shooting a single into right field with the bases loaded in the second. Jacques, a Linfield senior who started at shortstop, also turned a nice 6-3 double play with two on in the sixth inning.

Will Chambers – In addition to his home run, the DH from College of the Canyons scored Ridgefield’s first run after he singled in the second inning. Chambers went 2 for 4 with two RBI.

Ben Larson – Bend couldn’t mount a comeback thanks to the Gonzaga sophomore’s two innings of strong relief. Though Larson walked one in the eighth and two in the ninth, he worked out of trouble and picked a runner off first with no outs in the ninth.

Three numbers

13 – Consecutive hitters Jennings retired between the first and sixth innings.

17 – Pitches Jennings needed to get through the second and third innings. He needed just nine in the second and eight in the third.

7 – Soon-to-be Raptors who are playing in the NCAA Regionals. They are on Gonzaga, Oregon State, UC Santa Barbara and Dallas Baptist.

RIDGEFIELD 5, BEND 1

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Ridgefield 014 000 00x—5 10 0

Bend

Pitching – Darcey Allen 2.2 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 3 K, 1 BB, L; Nate Wenzel 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 4 K, 0 BB; Stuer 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K, 0 BB; Kaden Roettger 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 K, 1 BB. Highlights – Daniel Garcia 1-3; Eunsang Yu 1-3; Tommy Davis 2-3, RBI.

Ridgefield

Pitching –  Nick Jennings 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 9 K, 1 BB, W; Jacob Fried 1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 0 K, 3 BB; Ben Larson 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 K, 3 BB. Highlights – Caden Connor 1-4, 2B; Tafton Hensley 1-4, R, 2B; Will Chambers 2-4, 2R, 2 RBI, HR; Kody Darcy 2-4, R, 2B; Cole Urman 1-4, R, SB; Trevor Torpa 2-3; Tanner Jacques 1-4, RBI.