Knockout Round Road Opener

The season opener for the Raptors is officially in the books. After nine hard-fought innings on the road, they came up one run short in an eventual knockout round loss. While the matchup didn’t result in the outcome the Raptors had hoped for, they showcased great depth in their pitching staff and clutch-time hitting ability throughout the later innings of the ballgame.

Strong performances from rookie starter Bryson Van Sickle and second-year Raptor Shawn Triplett, along with timely RBI hitting from Edwin De La Cruz, kept the Raptors competitive and within reach of a win until their final out.

All night long, the Raptors’ pitching staff was able to work around go-ahead jams and avoid falling behind, which allowed their lineup to produce in the seventh inning. After trailing by one run through the first third of the game, they tied it in the fifth and scored three in the seventh to take a three-run lead.

The Raptors held that lead all the way until the bottom of the ninth, when the Ballers tied it up to send the game to a knockout round—thanks in large part to a 5-for-5 performance from their shortstop, Tremayne Cobb Jr.

In a game that went all the way down to the wire, it was ultimately a one-run finish in the opening game of the 2025 season.

The Raptors will look to bounce into the win column tomorrow night at 7:35 PM MDT in game two of this six-game series against the Ballers.