Springfield Drops Game 2 Slugfest to Ridgefield

(Photo by Alyssa Garcia)

By Henry Light

SPRINGFIELD – After combining for 21 runs in the opener, Springfield and Ridgefield put on another slugfest in game two. This time, though, the Drifters came out on the wrong end, dropping the middle game 12-6 to set up a Sunday rubber match.

Springfield (22-28, 19-22) stuck with the Raptors (29-21, 23-18) through the middle innings, but couldn’t match a five-run away eighth. Hunter Meyer went 3-for-5 and scored two runs, while Evan Thomas collected three RBI with a triple in the third inning.

“That's a good baseball team over there. Good athletes, they hit the ball hard, and it went their way tonight, which just sets up a real exciting finish to the series,” Drifters pitching coach Dean Stiles said.

The slugfest from the opener carried over to game two, with the Raptors scoring two runs in the first and the Drifters responding in the bottom half of the inning with an RBI groundout by Nolan Miller.

After an intermission in the second inning, Ridgefield took a 5-1 lead in the third, which resembled the Drifters’ early lead in the opener. Thomas added to the moment of deja vu in the bottom of the inning with his second bases-loaded triple of the series, bringing Springfield back within one.

Thomas’ third triple of the season set a new single-season franchise record.

“Obviously, it's great to see him healthy — that hamstring’s all healed up, and when he can motor, he can really go,” Stiles said. “If there’s anything that gets to the fence or gets behind somebody, he's gonna create havoc, so good for him.”

The flow of the game continued in the fourth inning when each side tacked on a run. Elliott Brown set up the Drifters’ fifth run with a no-doubt triple down the first base line and promptly scored on a groundout.

Springfield finally drew even on a double-steal with Miller and Meyer in the fifth inning. Drifters head coach Jeff Lyle has called for near-reckless aggressiveness on the basepaths since the beginning of the season, and it’s culminated in several double steals down the stretch, including two on July 30 in Yakima.

“We’re just trying to put pressure on the other group, be it on the mound, at the plate, or on the base pass; it just creates that havoc that's hard to defend, and it's paid off,” Stiles said.

Drifters head coach Jeff Lyle left the dugout to protest the home plate umpire declining Springfield catcher Matthew Bolinger’s appeal of a check swing in the sixth inning and was ejected when the umpire attempted to end the conversation while he was saying his piece.

The Raptors offense reclaimed the lead in the seventh inning and eliminated the Drifters' chance to respond with a five-run eighth.

Despite the lopsided final score, Ezra James gave the Drifters an excellent three-inning long relief outing, allowing one run on one hit and two walks while striking out three batters.

“He's just the type of kid that goes out unwavering. Nothing bothers him. He's got a good presence to himself, and he's throwing strikes,” Stiles said. “He's not afraid to give up some contact, and consequently, when he's not afraid to do that, he's around the zone, and he does get the occasional strikeout, too,” Stiles said.

Springfield will look to salvage the rubber match tomorrow with first pitch set for 4:05 p.m. The game can be streamed on the Drifters’ YouTube channel or on the WCL Live app for free.

Fans who join us for baseball card night on Aug 2 will receive a free Drifters team card set! Come out for keepsakes of the team that sits one win away from the winningest season in Drifters history.