PL Ogden Raptors

Ogden Crushes Great Falls 12-5

Published on July 12, 2015 under Pioneer League (PL)
Ogden Raptors News Release


GREAT FALLS - Scott De Jong was present in Southern California when his girlfriend, Haylee, gave birth to their daughter, Mila, on July 1. Since returning to the Ogden Raptors (12-12), De Jong was 0-for-12 with four strikeouts. On Saturday night, De Jong snapped out of that slump in a big way, hitting for the cycle capped off with a triple in the top of the ninth inning.

"This is the first time I've ever done that in my life, even in little league and T-ball," De Jong said.

De Jong's first hit came on a leadoff double in the top of the third inning. He was stranded on second base. Great Falls (12-8) had scored three runs without a single hit the inning before when the first three batters all reached base safely on three separate errors and two subsequent sacrifice flies gave the Voyagers the 3-0 advantage.

Then in the top of the fourth inning, Nick Sell tied the ballgame with a three-run home run to right-centerfield. De Jong then went back-to-back when he destroyed a full count pitch over the left field wall to give Ogden the lead.

"I got all that, that's for sure," De Jong said. "Squaring a ball up like I did tonight, that's just what you call a no-doubter. I can't hit a ball any harder than the home run I hit tonight."

De Jong added an RBI single in a five-run fifth inning that extended the Raptors lead to 9-3. Gage Green, Chris Godinez, Nick Dean, and Willie Calhoun hit four consecutive two-out RBI singles in the inning.

"That's steak," Raptors hitting coach Darryl Brinkley said about the two-out RBI singles. "We work on two-out base hits. We work on two-strike base hits."

De Jong was hit by a pitch in his next plate appearance in the seventh inning before one final at-bat in the ninth. De Jong knew exactly what he needed to do.

"I was joking to the umpire, 'The only way I'm going to get a triple with my speed is if I hit it all the way to the ivy in centerfield' and that's what I did," he said.

With two-outs and a runner on second base, De Jong drove a ball over the centerfielder's head that rolled all the way to the wall 415 feet from home plate for the elusive triple. Four straight batters walked or were hit by a pitch to put Ogden ahead 12-3.

De Jong was quick to attribute his success to hitting coach, Darryl Brinkley.

"Before the game, Brink and I actually made some adjustments - raised my hands up so I could get on top of the ball better," he said. "You can tell by the game that it paid off for sure."

"He did it all. I just made a suggestion," Brinkley said. "It just looks beautiful when he does it correctly."

Had Brinkley ever hit for the cycle in his career?

"I might have a couple of times. One, I think I was four years old, and the other one six."

Perhaps overshadowed by De Jong's career day was a spectacular pitching performance by the Raptors pitching staff. Tommy Bergjans (2-0) allowed just two hits and three unearned runs in five innings to become the first multi-game winner among Ogden pitchers this season. Wes Helsabeck threw three innings in relief, giving up just one hit, before Andrew Istler closed out the game in the ninth.

LHP Michael Boyle will make his first start of the season Sunday afternoon against RHP Evin Einhardt. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00pm MT at Centene Stadium.

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Pioneer League Stories from July 12, 2015


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