RIDGEFIELD — Chalk this win up to the Ridgefield Raptors’ pitching staff.
One night after giving up 10 late runs to the Bend Elks, the Raptors were in danger of suffering another letdown Wednesday when the Elks cut into their 3-0 lead in the eighth.
Damian Pantoya faced a tall task upon taking the mound with the bases loaded and no outs. He limited Bend’s damage to two runs and threw a clutch strikeout on a full count to get the Raptors out of a jam with the lead.
Zach Todd was called on in the ninth to close. The right-handed pitcher delivered a pair of strikeouts, then worked around two walks with a fly out to preserve a 3-2 win at Ridgefield Outdoor Recreation Complex.
Following starter Cole Tryba’s four scoreless innings, the Raptors (8-11) didn’t experience a drop-off with relievers Dylan Richardson, Pantoya and Todd.
“As pitchers our job is to throw up zeroes,” Todd said, “and last night that wasn’t the case in the eighth inning. So, to be able to have a line-stopper and them have trust in me, I was super happy to throw up that zero.”
Unlike some pitchers who stay in the bullpen, Todd prefers to watch early innings from the dugout when he’s not pitching. It’s a routine he’s familiar with at Dallas Baptist University, where the entire team gathers in the dugout to cheer on teammates.
“That’s something we preach a lot. It felt uncomfortable to be in the bullpen for any time I’m not going to pitch. I love these guys just like they’re my teammates back home. That definitely drove me to throw up that zero.”
Todd had a front-row seat to watch Tryba (UC Santa Barbara) make his first start of the season and mow down a strong Bend lineup in four scoreless innings. In addition to Tryba’s seven strikeouts, he gave up just one walk and scattered three hits.
“He’s just gross … he really set the tone for us, got those zeroes up there and he worked effective counts,” Todd said. “Even when he wasn’t in effective counts, he came back and battled for us. I think that just shows how close of a team we are — no matter what the count is, no matter what the score is, we’re going to fight for each other.”
After Ridgefield scored all three of its runs in the fourth, Richardson added three innings with one hit allowed, one strikeout and three walks, all coming to start the eighth before Pantoya salvaged the inning by limiting Bend (13-10) to two runs. At the end of the eighth, Ridgefield coaches told Todd to warm up in the bullpen.
The 6-foot-3 right-handed pitcher was up to the task. He earned his second save of the season after also pitching the final two innings of Ridgefield’s 4-3 win at Bend on Sunday.
“Coming out in the eighth and getting warmed up before the ninth, that was all my trust in the coaches and that they were able to trust me out there,” Todd said.
The rubber match of the series will be played at 6:35 p.m. Thursday at the RORC.
Three moments
Keep your eye on the ball – Ridgefield starting pitcher Cole Tryba stood tall when he snagged a Cole Calnon line drive with the top of his glove at the mound as part of a 1-2-3 third inning against the Elks.
Two-out rally – Two of Ridgefield’s three runs scored in the fourth inning came with two outs following an RBI ground out from Patrick Engskov. Jack Salmon scored from third base on a wild pitch and Taylor Takata added an RBI single to bring in Dasan Harris from second.
Pinpoint throw – Trailing 3-1 with the bases loaded in the eighth, Bend appeared have a tying run when Josh Wakefield singled to right field, scoring Easton Talt from third base. However, Ridgefield right fielder Hunter Katschke scooped up the ball and fired a laser to catcher Luke Iverson, who tagged out Luke Reece at the plate. That proved to be the difference in Ridgefield maintaining its lead, as the Raptors got a ground out and Pantoya strikeout to end the frame.
Three players
Cole Tryba – Making his second appearance and first start of the season, the left-handed pitcher from UC Santa Barbara struck out seven Bend batters over four scoreless innings with three hits allowed.
Damian Pantoya – After entering the game with the bases loaded and no outs in the eighth, Pantoya (Texas A&M Corpus Christi) limited Bend to two runs on two hits and finished off the inning with a full-count strikeout.
Taylor Takata – Ridgefield’s leadoff hitter from Hawai’i, who’s batting a team-high .300, provided a timely RBI single as part of a three-run fourth inning.
Three numbers
12 – Strikeouts thrown by Ridgefield pitchers, including seven from Tryba and two apiece from Todd and Richardson.
