RIDGEFIELD — Post-game meetings on the field are typically kept short by Ridgefield head coach Chris Cota.
But after the Raptors were swept by the Corvallis Knights for the second time this season in a 12-3 loss Thursday at Ridgefield Outdoor Recreation Complex, coaches spent a few extra moments talking to players in order to refocus their minds from the recent skid on the heels of the team’s 13-game win streak.
“Other than tonight, they were all (one or two) run games, they were all pretty close, so I think that we’ll flush it (and) come back tomorrow,” Ridgefield outfielder Jack Salmon said.
“They did sweep us twice, so I think (Cota) is just trying to get us to flush it, not to think too much about this, get ready for tomorrow and the next upcoming games we have.”
While each of Ridgefield’s previous five losses to Corvallis were decided by two runs or less, the Raptors were outmatched by a dialed-in Knights lineup Thursday.
In a scoreless game through three innings, Corvallis (32-10) exploded for six runs on seven hits in the fourth and Ridgefield’s bats were unable to string together a long rally against starting pitcher Cohen Gomez and relievers Mason Goodson and CJ Colyer.
The Raptors (23-19) climbed within 7-3 when Salmon led off the eighth inning with a base hit and later scored on a throwing error from Corvallis catcher Tyler Howard. However, they left two runners on after Goodson struck out power hitters Justin Stransky and Hunter Katschke on consecutive at-bats to end the inning.
Without a doubt, the Raptors see Corvallis as one of, if not the toughest pitching staffs they’ve faced this season.
“For sure, 100 percent,” Salmon said. “They’ve got a lot of guys at really good schools. Their pitching staff is legit, for sure.”
The Raptors now turn around for what they hope will be a reset in a weekend road series against the Cowlitz Black Bears, a team the Raptors swept during their franchise-record win streak. In fact, the Raptors will play nine of their final 12 regular season games away from home against three teams — Cowlitz, Yakima Valley Pippins and Walla Walla Sweets — in the bottom half of the WCL South Division standings.
“This year we’ve done really good on the road, so I think we’re going to keep that up.”
Three moments
Early efficiency – Ridgefield starting pitcher Carson Revay and Corvallis starter Cohen Gomez matched each other with a pair of quick 1-2-3 innings in the first and second. Gomez continued his strong start into the third inning by retiring the bottom of the Raptors’ order on just nine pitches.
Blow-up inning – Corvallis scored six runs on seven hits in the decisive fourth inning. Brandon Cabrera followed a single and ground-rule double with a three-run home run for the Knights’ first runs of the game. Tyler Howard followed with an RBI double off the fence in left field and CJ Colyer added a sacrifice fly to score Kasen Khansarinia. Thomas Ferroggiaro drove in the Knights’ final run of the inning on a line-drive single down the first base line. Ridgefield catcher Justin Stransky stopped by bleeding by throwing out Ferroggiaro as he attempted to steal second base.
Another homer for Hunter – Leading off the seventh inning, Ridgefield’s Hunter Katschke hit a solo home run 375 feet to right field for his team-high sixth home run of the season. When Luke Iverson followed with a base hit, the Raptors appeared to have a chance to cut further into their 7-2 deficit. Instead, two batters later, Richard Tejeda hit a line drive caught by Corvallis second baseman Ty Yukumoto, who then completed an unassisted double play to end the inning.
Three players
Cohen Gomez – Corvallis’ starting pitcher from Stanford picked up his first win of the season by scattering four hits over six innings with three strikeouts, zero walks and two runs allowed.
Joseph Jasso – Ridgefield’s middle reliever brought stability to the mound following Revay’s exit. The College of the Canyons pitcher posted five strikeouts, one walk, two hits and one run allowed over three innings. Jasso has a 0.75 earned-run average in 12 innings combined this season.
Brandon Cabrera – The cleanup hitter from Lewis-Clark State gave the Knights their first runs on a three-run homer. Cabrera finished 3-for-5 with a double, home run, three RBI and three runs scored.
Three numbers
2 – Series sweeps this season for Ridgefield, both coming against Corvallis.
11.5 – Average number of pitches thrown per inning by Gomez. Of his 69 pitches in six innings, 51 were called strikes.
5 – Players in the Knights’ lineup Thursday who are hitting above .300 for the season: Thomas Ferroggiaro, Ty Yukumoto, Blake Wilson, Brandon Cabrera and Kevin Takeuchi. They combined for 10 of the Knights’ 14 hits.
BOXSCORE: CORVALLIS 12, RIDGEFIELD 3
