Hansen dazzles once again for Voyagers

Alec Hansen may have dominated the opposition, but he wasn't entirely satisfied with how he performed against his other competition -- himself.

The White Sox No. 8 prospect fired five hitless innings Tuesday -- walking three and striking out four -- before Rookie-level Great Falls eventually fell to Ogden, 2-1, in 15 innings at Lindquist Field.

"I like to think of myself as my own biggest competitor out there on the mound no matter what my situation is, whether it's here or whether it be in the big leagues," Hansen said. "I did throw five hitless innings tonight, but I wasn't getting ahead of hitters. I wouldn't say I was pounding the zone like I really want to with my fastball."

The right-hander managed to work around walks in the first, third and fourth innings as he faced two over the minimum thanks to a first-inning double play. Although his strikeout total was down after fanning 21 batters in his previous two starts, he said his fastball allowed him to limit any hard contact.

"My fastball was good. I didn't have a ton of swing-and-miss stuff, but I was able to locate my fastball in key situations and get weak hits, weak ground balls," Hansen said. "That's why I was so successful."

Hansen has yet to give up more than four hits in a start in his pro career since Chicago took him in the second round of this year's Draft. The 21-year-old has only gotten better since his innings have increased, he's given up four hits and struck out 25 batters without allowing a run over his last three starts spanning 17 innings.

Even with a 1.47 ERA and a strikeout total (46) that ranks third in the Pioneer League, Hansen said he still sees areas in which his game can improve before the end of the season.

"My curveball was good, which is a positive, but I still have work on my slider and my changeup," the Oklahoma University product said. "Those are things I need to work on for my next outing."

Despite its flaws, Hansen said the zeros on the scoreboard -- in the runs and hits columns -- was an encouraging sight.

"After an outing to see that, it just gives you confidence," he said. "Obviously there's things you want to get better on, but it makes you feel good about yourself that you went out there, and even if I wasn't 100 percent happy with how I did, there are still positives that came from it."

The Raptors snapped the Voyagers' no-hit bid when Nick Yarnall singled with two outs in the bottom of the seventh.

Great Falls outfielder Aaron Schnurbusch singled to lead off the third to extend his on-base streak to 36 games. Ninth-ranked White Sox prospect Jameson Fisher chipped in two singles and a double.

The Raptors won the game in the 15th on a single by Brandon Montgomery off Great Falls reliever Jaider Rocha (0-3).

Sven Schuller (1-0) recorded two outs in the top of the frame to pick up his first Pioneer League win.