PL Ogden Raptors

Raptors Take Series from Owlz

Published on August 5, 2018 under Pioneer League (PL)
Ogden Raptors News Release


OGDEN, UT - From the start of the game on Sunday afternoon, the Ogden Raptors bats were on fire.

The Raptors, hosting the Orem Owlz in the finale of a four-game series, broke out for five runs in the first inning and scored in all but two frames on the evening for a 16-9 win over their rivals from the south.

Orem didn't give up after Ogden took big leads, coming back for eight runs from the fifth through the seventh to pull within three runs, but the Raptors scored twice in both the seventh and eighth for a comfortable victory.

After the Owlz plated a run in the top of the first, Eric Peterson was hit by the first pitch to lead off the bottom half. Matt Cogen then got plunked and Dillon Paulson lined a single to right field to score Peterson and tie the game.

Cogen had advanced to third base on the single, and James Outman capitalized with a base hit to right as well. Jon Littell then launched a 1-2 pitch onto the Tar Pit in left field for a three-run blast, his first home run with the Raptors, to cap the five-run frame.

In the second, Peterson came up with one out and hammered a shot to left as well for his first Ogden homer and a 6-1 lead.

Ogden left a runner on second base in the third but didn't score. In the fourth, Ramon Rodriguez singled in his first at-bat after replacing starting catcher Marco Hernandez, who suffered an injury early in the game. Kenneth Betancourt doubled high off the left-field wall. Rodriguez was thrown out at the plate, but Betancourt advanced to third base. The runner on third allowed Peterson to lift a sacrifice fly to center and knock him in. With two down and the bases empty, Matt Cogen reached on an error by the center fielder and Paulson pulled a ball past first base to score the run and give Ogden an 8-1 advantage.

After allowing three hits and a run in the first, Joel Inoa was dominant. He pitched scoreless ball from the second through the fourth and went into the fifth with seven strikeouts. In the fifth he induced a popup from the leadoff hitter, but it was dropped on the infield and the batter reached second. A wild pitch put him on third, and after Inoa's season-high eighth-strikeout of the game a groundout brought in the run.

Just one out from qualifying to earn the win, Inoa fell apart. A single to center was followed by a four-pitch walk and the Raptors bullpen got busy. It appeared Inoa would get out of the inning, as a harmless ground ball went to first, but Paulson's underhand toss was dropped by the pitcher covering and a run scored.

That knocked Inoa out of the game, one out short of a win. Gregorio Sequera entered and threw a wild pitch to score a run, but the runner on first tried to take third and was thrown out to end the inning with an 8-4 score.

The Raptors came back in the bottom of the fifth with four runs, including run-scoring hits from Littell, Rodriguez and Betancourt, and an error on a grounder by Peterson to score the last.

In the sixth, though, the Owlz hit a two-run home run. A solo shot led off the seventh and three hits scored two more, and all of a sudden the Raptors lead was cut to 12-9.

From there, the Ogden offense took over. Betancourt reached on an infield single and error with two out in the seventh, and with Peterson on first after a single they executed a double steal to score Betancourt. A walk and hit batter loaded the bases, and then Ronny Brito took another free pass to drive in a run.

In the eighth, Littell singled and Hulsizer was hit by a pitch. Rodriguez doubled off the right field wall to score one, and Peterson grounded out to knock in Hulsizer for the final run of the game.

The win secures the third win in the four-game series for Ogden, and they keep pace with Grand Junction in a first-place tie in the second half.

After the All-Star break, the Raptors start a seven-game road trip by visiting Billings for a 7:05 PM game Thursday.

Check out the Ogden Raptors Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Pioneer League Stories from August 5, 2018


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central