Late Home Run Drops Chukars

For eight innings, the Orem Owlz and the Idaho Falls Chukars were neck-and-neck. The lead changed hands multiple times before a scoreless seventh and eighth. In the ninth, however, one swing of the bat untied it.

With two on and two out in the top half of the inning, Owlz slugger Matt Thaiss stepped to the plate and crushed the first pitch he saw over the right field fence to provide the final runs in a 7-4 Orem win.

The second straight loss to Orem dropped the Chukars to third place in the Pioneer League South with a 2-2 record.

The Owlz got off to a quick start for the second night in a row. Jahmai Jones and Thaiss, the top two in the order, both doubled against Idaho Falls starter Alex Luna. Luna controlled the damage, though, only allowing those two players to score. His offense quickly tied it in the last half of the first on a two-run double by Manny Olloque, his first hit of the season.

The Chukars went ahead in the second inning when Luke Willis walked with two out, stole second base and scored on Tanner Stanley's single to left field.

Brennon Lund wreaked havoc in the fourth and the sixth to tie the game again and put Orem back on top. In the fourth he was hit by a pitch, stole second base and later scored on a single. With the bases empty and two out in the sixth, he hit a line drive off Brandon Dulin's glove and scampered to second as the ball went into no-man's land, then moved to third as a throw got away. The next hitter, Connor Justus, drove him in with a lined single up the middle.

The Chukars weren't out of it. Nick Heath led off in the bottom of the sixth and worked the count full before crushing a high drive to right that cleared the wall, his first professional home run and RBI and only the second round tripper for the Chukars in 2016. Heath's blast tied the score at 4-4, where it would stay until the ninth despite both teams threatening.

Thaiss, the Angels' first-round pick this year, went 3-for-5 with two doubles, the home run and four RBI in his first professional game. For the home side, Stanley reached base three times and Willis wasn't retired in a night with three singles and a walk. Olloque added an eighth-inning single to his hits ledger.

The Chukars and Owlz face off Wednesday night at 7:15 in the third game of the four-game series to finish the first homestand. A fun night is on tap, as it's Princesses and Superheroes night presented by Summit Eyecare. Free cake and a pregame parade are in store for those who dress up! Wednesday is also Cub Scout Night, presented by MyFM and Arrow 107.

If you can't come to the game, make sure to listen to John Balginy and Andrew Haynes on the call on ESPN 980 AM (and the TuneIn app), 105.1 FM and 94.5 FM.

For tickets and other information, call (208) 522-8363, follow the Chukars on Facebook or Twitter (@ifchukars) or visit www.ifchukars.com.