Raptors Walk All Over Elks to Clinch Series Win

The Elks and Raptors combined for 28 walks in a game that lasted nearly three and a half hours. (Andrew Green)

Bend, OR. - The Bend Elks walked a season-high 17 batters, contributing to a scoring fest for the red-hot Ridgefield Raptors, who extended their record win streak to nine games with a 15-6 blowout victory to take the road series over the Elks.

It was a game of balls and strikes, with the Elks coming out on the wrong end of several close calls at the plate. Bend Head Coach Joey Wong was conflicted with several of the calls the home plate umpire made and expressed himself in a way that caused him to get ejected for the second time this season.

Ridgefield never trailed, putting up crooked numbers in several frames with four runs in the second, five in the fifth, and four more in the ninth to put the extra nail in the coffin. The Elks allowed the Raptors to score four runs off walks and two on wild pitches.

Nevertheless, Ridgfield wasn't negligent to the walking game either, handing out 11 free passes. When you look at the boxscore, Bend matched Ridgefield nearly blow for blow with hits putting up 11 to counter the Raptors' 13. Yet, the difference was made in the free opportunities and the type of hits the Raptors had. The Elks only had one extra-base hit on an RBI double from Kody Watanabe, while the Raptors had four, including a solo blast by Tristan Gomes in the sixth.

Jake Tsukada, Jacob Sharp, and Gomes each finished with three-hit games, plus Reiss Calvin, who had three RBI. Steven Meier and Kody Watanabe both had two hits in the loss, while Braeden Terry recorded his third game with three or more hits this season.

Bend (10-11, 7-10) will look to steal the series finale at home and snap Ridgfield's (14-7, 13-6) win streak before hitting the road for another three-game set against the Raptors up at the Ridgefield Outdoor Recreation Complex. The first pitch for Sunday's finale is 5:05 p.m. at Vince Genna Stadium.