Portland lived up to its hype as the “epicenter of women’s sports,” offering a warm and raucous welcome to its newest team, the Portland Cascade.
The professional softball team made its home debut for a three-game series June 18-21, selling out every game. Fans packed the house all weekend, including waking up bright and early for a 9:30 a.m. PT game on Sunday.
Cascade Head Coach Tairia Flowers commented on how the team could feel the crowd behind them
“Everybody’s in it every single pitch with us. You can’t ask for anything better from a home team crowd.”
The crowd definitely wasn’t neutral, and first baseman Tori Vidales particularly noticed how much of an advantage the Cascade had to ride their momentum.
“What I was paying attention to was how quiet it was when Spark was doing something well. Like when Maya [Brady] led off the game with the double, it was dead quiet,” Vidales said. “I was like, ‘Yeah, our fans got our backs, they know what’s up.'”
June 18 was a record-setting day for merchandise, as in-venue sales hit a historical high.
“Looking around and seeing all the fans filling up the seats, cheering, like doing “Cascade” with us… it was just so fun, and I know that it’s just gonna get even better. Every single game we’re here, so I’ve been pumped,” Vidales said.
The Cascade will hit the road for a three-game series at Dell Diamond against the Texas Volts. They’ll return for an extended home stand on July 7 for nine games. Tickets are on sale now.