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The Ravens hold a one-game lead and the tiebreaker over the Cougars with four conference games remaining, including a game against Mountain View on Friday and a three-game series against Redmond next week.

“It takes a little pressure off of us knowing that we have the tiebreaker,� said Ridgeview junior Logan Nakamura. “But we have to stay locked in and stay focused to win league. The job’s not finished. Even though we did win the series, and we are stoked about that, it is not good enough.�

This week’s series pinned the two teams that have separated themselves from the rest of the conference against one another. Ridgeview (17-5, 9-2 IMC) and Mountain View (15-5, 8-3) were the only two teams that hadn’t lost an IMC series. Now only the Ravens can make that claim.

This time a year ago, Ridgeview looked well on its way to winning the IMC.

But with a chance to win the series against Mountain View, the Ravens blew a nine-run lead in the sixth inning to lose 14-13, which cost them the IMC crown.

“We hadn’t forgotten that,� said Ridgeview senior Mason Scott. “We wanted revenge.�

And the Ravens got it.

In Tuesday’s 10-5 win at Ridgeview, the Ravens used a five-run fourth inning to turn a 4-4 tie game into a 9-5 lead.

Scott hit two doubles and drove home two runs. Junior outfielder Caimen Jensen and junior Jackson Hertel each drove in two runs as well. Hertel threw three innings of scoreless relief and struck out seven of the nine Cougar batters he faced.

Wednesday’s second game at Mountain View brought raised stakes: Ridgeview with a chance to clinch the series and Mountain View needing a win to stay in the series.

The Ravens took control early with a 4-0 lead after two innings, highlighted by a solo home run by sophomore Ryden Nakamura. But just as they have done all season, the Cougars began to claw their way back into the game.

Trailing 4-1 in the bottom of the fourth inning, senior left fielder Easton Herberger hit a towering two-run home run to cut the lead to 4-3. The Cougars nearly took the lead when freshman catcher Ryder Carpenter hit an RBI triple to center field, but was thrown out at the plate after being waved home for a chance at an inside-the-park home run. Instead, the Cougars had to settle for tying the game, 4-4.

“Any play could change the game for either side,� said Scott, who got the start on the mound for the Ravens and struck out six Cougar batters and allowed five earned runs in 5⅓ innings. “It was an exciting game to play.�

The Ravens retook the lead in the fifth inning on a single by Scott to bring home Hertel. The Cougars responded with two runs in the sixth inning when Herberger scored on a wild pitch, then Carpenter singled home senior Gavin Derr to give Mountain View a 6-5 lead.

In the seventh inning, the Ravens were able to tie the game without getting a hit. A walk and a hit batter put two runners on base. Then two wild pitches allowed Ridgeview to tie the game, 6-6.

Hertel, who was on third, came running home on the second wild pitch, and looked as though he would be tagged out after a favorable bounce of the ball off the backstop. But Hertel was able to dive around the tag and touch home plate without being tagged.

The game went to extra innings and again the Ravens added a run without a batter getting a hit. Down to its final out, Ridgeview drew three consecutive walks and then Jensen scored on a passed ball for the winning run.

“It was a tough game,� said Logan Nakamura. “But our team did a good job of not letting the moment get too big. We have been in those situations, and they might not have gone our way, but it did today.�

Late in the game, in a close, high-leverage situation, the Ravens turned to freshman Diego Lopez on the mound. The right-hander came in and threw 2â…” scoreless innings to keep the Cougars at bay.

Ridgeview coach Shane Nakamura had no fear about putting one of his youngest arms on the mound to clinch the series win.

“It was a no-brainer for me,� Nakamura said. “He is highly intellectual and baseball cerebral. He makes decisions well for a freshman. He came in and had some tough moments that he pulled through.�

The Cougars and the Ravens will play the series final Friday at 4:30 p.m. at Ridgeview. Mountain View will close out its IMC schedule against Bend High next week, while the Ravens will play a three-game series against Redmond.