Southern Division Championship: Boise takes down Ogden in 12 innings, advances to PBL Championship Series

Ogden, UT - In the only extra innings game played in the Pioneer Baseball League this season, the Boise Hawks walked away as the PBL Southern Division Champions, winning 8-7 over the Ogden Raptors in 12 innings at Lindquist Field on Saturday night.

Things started very poorly for the Hawks, going behind 3-0 four batters into the game because of a Pavin Parks three run homer, and their troubles grew in the second when two more Raptors crossed the plate putting Ogden ahead 5-0 after two full innings.

Drawing on the resilience they’ve had all second half, Boise started their comeback in the top of the fourth when Wladimir Galindo went over the right-centerfield fence for a solo home run that seemed to kickstart the Hawks offense.

Galindo’s homer would begin a string of four straight innings where the Boise Hawks would score, including a Roby Enriquez game tying homer in the sixth to bring the Hawks level at 5-5.

Just as soon as Boise tied the game, Ogden struck in the bottom of the sixth to take a 6-5 lead.

Making up the one run would prove to be simple for Boise, who knotted up the score thanks to an Alejandro Rivero sacrifice fly that brought home Pat Adams in the 7th.

Ogden tried to avoid extra innings by getting Jakob Goldfarb to second base with just one out in the ninth inning, but Conner Dand wouldn’t let him get any further, striking out Parks and getting the PBL’s batting champion, David Maberry to pop out to Jason Dicochea to send it into the tenth.

Dicochea would then lead off the top of the tenth inning with his second double of the night, after he hit one in the seventh to set up Rivero’s sacrifice fly.

Boise would get a productive ground-out to the right side from Rivero to move Dicochea to third and then Enriquez came through with an opposite field RBI single, slapping a ball past the Raptors shortstop with two outs to put the Hawks ahead 7-6.

That lead would not last for the Hawks, as Ogden tied the game on back to back doubles in the bottom half of the first extra inning and even threatened to win the game, getting runners to second and third with just one out.

Dand was again up to the challenge, getting Josh Broughton to bunt a ball right back to him on the mound, which he picked up and took over to the third base line to tag out Nico Pacheo, before striking out Dom Abbadessa to end the threat.

The crucial run would come in the top of the twelve inning, neary five hours into the contest, when Enriquez again found the outfield grass, dropping a blooper into left center to score Alejandro Rivero from second base and give Boise the 8-7 lead.

Once again the Raptors would threaten to win the game in the bottom half but Mitch Lines, making his only relief outing of the season, would save the game for Boise, getting both Broughton and Goldfarb to ground out with two runners on, earning Lines his first professional save and sending a team from Boise to the Pioneer League Championship Series for the first time since 1962.

In their inaugural season in the PBL, the Boise Hawks will take on the Missoula PaddleHeads in a best of three series to determine the 2021 Pioneer League Champion.

Game one of the series is on Monday, September 13th in Missoula, with games two, and three (if needed) on Wednesday, September 15th, and Thursday, September 16th in Boise.

Neither side has announced a starter for Monday’s 7:15 first pitch.