Consistent Offensive Attack Leads Raptors Win
August 18, 2019 - Pioneer League (PL) - Ogden Raptors News Release
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO - Brandon Lewis homered among three hits to lead the Ogden Raptors offensively Sunday afternoon, and the bullpen picked up starting pitcher Jeronimo Castro with five shutout innings as the Ogden Raptors bounced back from a walk-off loss Saturday night with an 8-3 win.
Lewis, after singling in the first, stepped up with two out and two on in the fourth inning and the Raptors holding a 2-0 lead. The second pitch he saw was blasted over the left-field fence, his 12th homer of the season, to put Ogden up by five.
That swing of the bat held up, though the Rocky Mountain Vibes made it close with three runs in the home half of the fourth. Castro, who had retired 10 straight after giving up a single to open the bottom of the first, allowed four hits in a row and made a pickoff throw to first base that bounced off the runner diving back in to allow a runner on third base to score. He didn't make it out of the fourth inning for only the second time this season - the first since June 26, also in Colorado Springs.
Jeff Belge picked Castro up with a strikeout to end the fourth and strand a runner before a scoreless fifth. Belge put two runners on with a hit batter and walk in the sixth before leaving after recording a strikeout, and Mitchell Tyranski induced a flyout and groundout to leave both of Belge's runners on the bases.
After Tyranski's perfect seventh, Reza Aleaziz worked around two singles in the eighth and a leadoff double in the ninth to put the finishing touches on the win.
The Raptors got on the board in the second, as Jon Littell was hit by a pitch with two out. Andrew Shaps walked and Marco Hernandez roped a single up the middle to score Littell.
Littell also kick-started the rally in the fourth, crushing a double on the ninth pitch of the at-bat. Shaps singled to put Littell on third, and an automatic double by Andy Pages brought Littell across the plate and set up Lewis for the home run.
Ogden added a run in the sixth. Pages led off with a double, advanced to third on a groundout and scored on a wild pitch.
In the eighth, Pages walked with one out and Jorbit Vivas singled to center. With two down and the runners at second and third, Zac Ching lifted a double down the right field line to plate the final two tallies of the game.
With the four-game set tied, 1-1, the Raptors and Vibes will play game three Monday night at 6:40 at UC Health Park.
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Pioneer League Stories from August 18, 2019
- Solo Bombs Not Enough in Rox Loss - Grand Junction Rockies
- Osprey Lose Four Game Series to Great Falls Due to Field Conditions - Missoula PaddleHeads
- Consistent Offensive Attack Leads Raptors Win - Ogden Raptors
- Chukars Snap Six Game Skid - Idaho Falls Chukars
- Owlz Back in Win Column, 8-3 - Orem Owlz
- Chukars End Mustangs Win Streak at Six Games - Billings Mustangs
- Raptors Even Series with Sunday Win - Rocky Mountain Vibes
- Voyagers Doubleheader Tonight Postponed - Great Falls Voyagers
- Offensive Explosion Ends Losing Streak - Grand Junction Rockies
- Vibes Walk-Off Thwarts Raptors Comeback - Ogden Raptors
- Chukars Drop Sixth Straight - Idaho Falls Chukars
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