Owlz Win Back-and-Forth Affair

OGDEN - The Ogden Raptors hit three homers but it wasn't enough in a 13-9 loss to the Orem Owlz Thursday night at Lindquist Field.

The Raptors (13-11, 28-34) took an early lead in the first inning on a three-run homer by Julian Leon. Leon's home run was hit 10th of the season and his third in three games.

After Orem scored in a run in the third, Justin Chigbogu hit his league-leading 17th home run of the season, a solo shot to right field to put Ogden ahead 4-1.

The Owlz (10-14, 34-28) took the lead in the fourth. After loading the bases on two singles and a walk, Caleb Adams hit a three-run double to right field. Adams gave the Owlz the lead after scoring on a wild pitch.

Orem tacked on another run in the fifth with a solo homer by Wade Wass, his seventh of the season, to put the Owlz up by two, 6-4.

The Raptors tied the game again in the bottom of the fifth. Melvin Santana reached on a dropped-third strike to start the inning. A passed ball and two groundouts brought in Santana. Cody Bellinger then hit a solo homer to right field, his second of the season, to tie the game 6-6.

After an RBI double by Orem's Andrew Daniel and an RBI single by Ogden's Santana in the sixth, the game was tied 7-7 entering the eighth.

The Raptors took the lead in the bottom of the seventh with a two-run single by Leon, going up 9-7. However, that was the final run Ogden would score.

The Owlz scored three in the eighth inning. Daniel drove in another run on an infield single, Adams scored on an error, and Wass had an RBI single to take the lead 10-9.

Orem put the game out of reach in the ninth with three more runs. A two-run triple by Wendell Soto, followed by a run-scoring single by Raul Linares, putting the Owlz up 13-9.

Eduardo Paredes ended the game by striking out the side in the ninth.

Ramon Rodriguez (2-0) earned the win with 1.1 hitless innings, only hitting a batter and striking out two.

Vaughn Hayward (0-1) was tagged with his first loss after allowed six runs, four earned, on five hits and three walks with two strikeouts.

Bellinger's homer was his first since his first game back from a shoulder injury. On July 18, he homered in his first at bat. He waited 129 at bats before his home run in the fifth tonight.

With Chigbogu's 17th homer, he tied 1996's Miguel Rodriguez for second on the Raptors' list for most home runs in a season. Chigbogu only trails Brian Cavazos-Galvez's 18 homers in his MVP season of 2009 for the most homers by a Raptor in a season.

Also, combining Chigbogu's and Leon's totals for the season, they have hit 27 home runs. This ties Nick Akins (15) and Jake Lemmerman (12) in 2010 and Daryl Clark (15) and Cristian Guerrero (12) in 2000 for the second-best home run duo in Raptors history. Cavazos-Galvez (18) and Jerry Sands (14) are first with a combined 32 home runs.

The Raptors and Owlz face off for the final time of 2014 Friday. Jeff Brigham takes the mound for Ogden against Orem's Michael Bolaski. Game starts at 7:00 and can be heard on 97.5 The Zone.