Ridgefield, Washington – It was another dog fight, but the Kamloops NorthPaws walked away with a 9-7 win over the Ridgefield Raptors. The game was highlighted by a pinch-hit go-ahead two RBI single from Elijah Olaybal. On the mound, right-hander Chase Demmler shut the door, pitching the final two innings, earning the win and the save.
The top of the order got it done to begin the game as Kade Crawford got on base and stole second. Evan Dugdale then drove in his fourth RBI of the series, giving the NorthPaws the early lead. Kamloops added to the lead with Brock Grainger, Marcus Butts and Logan Booth all drawing walks, allowing Dugdale to score.
Paws starter Kyu Lumsdon ran into some command issues in the bottom of the first, allowing the Rapotrs to tie it at two. Lumsdon settled in and finished his start, going three innings, giving up two earned on four hits while striking out five batters.
The NorthPaws bats went in the second and third. Dugdale drove in his second run of the game with another single. Grainger was next up, facing a new Ridgefield arm out of the bullpen. The Kamloops first baseman saw one pitch before he klobbered the 1-0 offering over the right field wall for a two-run homerun, giving the Paws a 5-2 lead. In the third, Dylan Dekker laced a single through the right side, tacking on one more run, making it 6-2.
Keith Manby was first out of the bullpen for the NorthPaws and tossed a clean fourth and fifth innings. In the sixth, an error later led to a Raptors run, but it wouldn’t get charged to Manby’s line. The righty had neutralized the Ridgefield offence for the time being.
“He did an amazing job tonight,” pitching coach Dustin Beggs said. “He kept hitters guessing all night.”
Manby trotted back out for the seventh but quickly ran into trouble. Back-to-back hits batters and a single loaded the bases. Manby managed to get one out before being pulled. Another hit batter, two singles and a sacrifice fly brought in four runs for the Raptors, giving them their first lead of the night.
In the eighth, the NorthPaws needed to get desperate, and they had the perfect guys to get it started. Crawford singled and stole second, Dugdale grounded out, moving him to third, and Grainger drove him in with a groundout RBI, tying the game.
In the top of the ninth, Marcus Butts led off, hitting a one-hopper up the middle that ate up the shortstop, allowing him to reach base on the error. Booth followed that up with a single, and Kenner laid down a perfect bunt, allowing both runners to advance.
The Raptors elected to intentionally walk Dylan Dekker, bringing up Camden Sanders in the order. Head coach Riley Jepson rolled the dice and brought lefty bat, Elijah Olaybal, off the bench to pinch hit in the game’s biggest moment. Olaybal wiffed on the first two pitches of the at-bat before watching ball one in the dirt. The 1-2 pitch was over the plate, and Olaybal drove it through the left side for a base hit, scoring two and breaking the tie.
Chase Demmler marched back out in the bottom of the ninth after a 1-2-3 bottom of the eighth with a chance to record the save. Demmler recorded a pair of flyouts before striking out the final hitter of the game.
“He attacked the hitters and wasn’t afraid,” Beggs said. “He was the hunter rather than the hunted tonight.”
The win gives the NorthPaws their first series victory of the season and some much-needed confidence and momentum going into the back half of their road trip, but the coaches know this is still just the beginning.
“We knew this was coming, our bats have been hot, and we’ve felt like we’re one inning away, even one pitch away,” Beggs said. “It’s not so much a sigh of relief but another step in the right direction.”
The NorthPaws will continue their Washington road trip with a weekend series VS the Wenatchee AppleSox. You can follow along on our socials and watch the games on the West Coast Leagues streaming platform or the Wenatchee AppleSox YouTube channel.
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