PL Ogden Raptors

Peterson, Malisheski Provide Winning Boost

August 15, 2018 - Pioneer League (PL)
Ogden Raptors News Release


GREAT FALLS, MT - Through seven games with the Ogden Raptors in 2018, Eric Peterson had three hits in 20 at-bats - a .150 batting average.

Kevin Malisheski, despite giving up just one earned run in three of his previous five starts, had not seen an ERA below 6.00 the entire season.

Naturally, it was those two who led the way as the Raptors defeated the Great Falls Voyagers in the second game of a three-game series, 10-5.

Peterson, batting second in the Raptors' order, singled and scored in the first and third, hit sacrifice flies in the sixth and seventh and added two more hits in a 4-for-4 night.

Malisheski made it through five strong innings with just one earned run to drop his ERA to 5.79, allowing four hits and a walk and striking out five. Peterson helped him out on defense, starting a 5-4-3 double play to retire the side with the Voyagers threatening in the fifth.

For the first time on the current road trip, the Raptors scored first. Peterson looped a single to right field, broke for second on a wild pitch and went to third when the throw sailed into center field, and scored on a close play at the plate when Dillon Paulson grounded to first with the infield in.

The Voyagers scored two runs in the bottom of the first as the Raptors committed two errors behind Malisheski, who bounced back with a 1-2-3 second inning.

In the third, Peterson stroked a single up the middle and went to second on a Paulson base hit. After the two executed a double steal, Ronny Brito walked to load the bases. Matt Cogen grounded up the middle, but it was stopped on a dive and Brito was put out at second with Peterson scoring to tie the game.

Niko Hulsizer was next, and he lined a single to left. The Great Falls left fielder missed the ball, allowing both Paulson and Cogen to score and Hulsizer to reach second on the error. Hulsizer then broke for third base on a stolen base attempt. The catcher's throw hit the bat of Jon Littell, who was at the plate, and ricocheted into foul territory, and Hulsizer trotted home to make it 5-2.

Malisheski held the Voyagers down until the fifth, when he hit a batter with one out and a stolen base and error allowed the runner to score and cut the Raptors lead to two runs.

In the top of the sixth, Jefrey Souffront laced a triple over the head of the center fielder. Kenneth Betancourt added a three-bagger of his own to plate Souffront, and Peterson's first sacrifice fly allowed Betancourt to trot across the plate.

Great Falls put together a two-out rally against Ogden reliever Orlandy Navarro to score twice and pull within 7-5 in the home half of the sixth.

With one out in the seventh, Ramon Rodriguez beat out a tapper up the third base line for his third hit of the night. Souffront added a single to right, and Betancourt reached on an error to load the bases for Peterson. A fly to deep right scored Rodriguez for Peterson's second RBI.

Knowing the Voyagers had scored seven in a single inning Monday night, the Raptors endeavored to add to their three-run lead in the eighth. Brito opened with a soaring popup that fell in center for a hit, and Cogen blasted the team's third triple of the game to score Brito. With one out, Littell ripped a double down the left field line, scoring Cogen for the final tally.

With each team taking one of the first two games, the Raptors and Voyagers, who met in the Pioneer League championship series in 2017, are set for the rubber match of the three-game series on Wednesday night at 7:00.

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