RIDGEFIELD — At the most important position on the field with little room for mistakes, Ridgefield Raptors pitchers have made it look easy lately.
Of course, pitching is far from a rudimentary task, as Friday’s starter Curtis Hebert will tell you. Yet by playing within themselves and not trying to push too hard, the Raptors have displayed remarkable consistency on the mound over their recent homestand.
The latest example, a 4-0, two-hit win against the Portland Pickles in Friday’s series opener at Ridgefield Outdoor Recreation Complex, was the Raptors’ third win in a row and second straight shutout.
“All the guys, everyone is nasty, everyone has that confidence,” said Hebert, a University of Portland product. “Just being confident and not trying to do too much — I think everyone has really adopted that and bought into that mindset.”
Hebert, who splits time as a position player and pitcher, got his first start of the season and dealt six shutdown innings, limiting the Pickles to one hit with four strikeouts and two walks. The Pickles were held to just two hits for the game, with relievers Tito Santos and Carson Kruckman finishing out the final three innings.
“I think it’s contagious,” Hebert said. “One guy goes out there and does what he’s supposed to, and the next guy is like, ‘Yeah, it’s that easy,’ but it’s really not. It’s been fun to pitch with it (and) fun to play in the field.”
The Raptors’ performance was a stark contrast to their season-opening series at Portland May 31 and June 1 when they were shut out in back-to-back games while allowing 17 combined runs.
Ridgefield’s roster changed substantially with a handful of players finishing up their college seasons and joining the Raptors during the following weeks.
What hasn’t changed is Portland’s early hot stretch. The Pickles (15-8) entered Friday’s game having won seven of their last 10 games behind a pitching staff boasting a 2.80 earned-run average, the second best in the West Coast League.
The Raptors (10-11) proved to be an equal match by pounding out 10 hits against four opposing pitchers. Four of those hits came in the opening inning, including RBI base hits from Luke Iverson and Richard Tejeda.
Ridgefield chased Portland starting pitcher Ben Smith from the game after just one inning and took a 3-0 lead that stood, while allowing Hebert and company some early breathing room to operate with. In the end, however, the Raptors didn’t need it.
“It takes a lot of pressure off me and just kind of lets me kind of just work without much thought of holding on to a lead,” Hebert said. “I knew they were going to get more, and I knew they were going to work behind me.”
Three moments
Wearing them down – Each of Ridgefield’s first three batters, Taylor Takata, Justin Stransky and Luke Iverson, battled to full counts against Portland starting pitcher Ben Smith and reached base, the latter two on singles.
The patient at-bats sparked a three-run first inning. Takata scored from third base on a balk, then Iverson and Richard Tejeda followed with RBI base hits to spot the Raptors an early 3-0 lead.
Smoked Salmon – With two runners in scoring position, Ridgefield’s Jack Salmon capitalized by ripping a two-out base hit into the outfield to score Iverson and go ahead 4-0 in the fourth inning. Hunter Katschke was tagged out at the plate on the same play, colliding with Portland catcher Nate Wood, who was injured on the play and did not return to the game.
Unassisted double play – The fourth inning was Portland’s first chance to put runs on the board when Patrick Keighran earned a leadoff walk and later advanced to third on a Dominic Chacon base hit with one out. The threat was promptly shut down when Ridgefield short stop Patrick Engskov tracked down a ground ball and completed an unassisted 6-3 double play.
Three players
Richard Tejeda – Plain and simple, the USC commit continues to drive in runs for the Raptors. Tejeda notched his 11th RBI of the season, tied for the team lead with Iverson.
Curtis Hebert – Ridgefield’s starting pitcher was steady in six scoreless innings with four strikeouts, two walks and one hit allowed.
Hunter Katschke – The Utah Tech product continues to produce from the cleanup spot. Katschke went 2-for-4 to raise his batting average to .313 on the season.
Three numbers
34 – Scoreless innings out of 36 strung together by Ridgefield’s pitching and defense over their last four games.
82 – Pitches thrown by Hebert in six innings of work.
2,015 – Attendance for Friday’s game. It’s the second time this season Ridgefield has eclipsed 2,000.
BOXSCORE: RIDGEFIELD 4, PORTLAND 0
