Orem sweeps Ogden to close season
(September 13, Ogden, UT) - The Orem Owlz overwhelmed the Pioneer League in 2009, winning a league-high 51 regular-season games. In the divisional playoffs, the Owlz were simply too much for the Ogden Raptors, capping a two-game series sweep with a 7-4 win at Lindquist Field Sunday night.
Amidst rain and lightening, the Raptors fought to gain a 3-1 third inning lead, only to see the Owlz counter with a rally to go ahead 4-3. Ogden trailed 7-3 in the ninth before mounting one final attack, bringing the tying run to the plate with nobody out.
Orem second baseman Kevin Ramos dived to stop an Austin Yount ground ball from heading into center-field, starting a spectacular 4-6-3 double play that put the brakes on the Raptor rally. Brian Ruggiano lined out to left field to close the curtains on a season that saw Ogden tie a franchise record with 42 regular-season victories.
League MVP Brian Cavazos-Galvez blasted a two-run homer in the third to put Ogden on top 3-1, energizing a club that had lost eight of ten entering the night.
Starter Brett Wallach (0-1) could not hold the lead, however. Wallach walked the first two men in the top of the fourth. After a throwing error brought one run home, Raptor-killer Travis Witherspoon chased Wallach with a ringing two-run double to right-center field that put Orem on top 4-3.
The Owlz added a run on Dillon Baird's fifth inning homer, and tacked on two more in the top of the ninth on Carlos Ramirez' two-run shot.
The Raptors fell to the Owlz for the second straight year in the post-season. Ogden has now dropped its past seven playoff series.
Orem will host the winner of Monday night's Great Falls-Missoula game Wednesday night in the opener of a best-of-three championship series.
Amidst rain and lightening, the Raptors fought to gain a 3-1 third inning lead, only to see the Owlz counter with a rally to go ahead 4-3. Ogden trailed 7-3 in the ninth before mounting one final attack, bringing the tying run to the plate with nobody out.
Orem second baseman Kevin Ramos dived to stop an Austin Yount ground ball from heading into center-field, starting a spectacular 4-6-3 double play that put the brakes on the Raptor rally. Brian Ruggiano lined out to left field to close the curtains on a season that saw Ogden tie a franchise record with 42 regular-season victories.
League MVP Brian Cavazos-Galvez blasted a two-run homer in the third to put Ogden on top 3-1, energizing a club that had lost eight of ten entering the night.
Starter Brett Wallach (0-1) could not hold the lead, however. Wallach walked the first two men in the top of the fourth. After a throwing error brought one run home, Raptor-killer Travis Witherspoon chased Wallach with a ringing two-run double to right-center field that put Orem on top 4-3.
The Owlz added a run on Dillon Baird's fifth inning homer, and tacked on two more in the top of the ninth on Carlos Ramirez' two-run shot.
The Raptors fell to the Owlz for the second straight year in the post-season. Ogden has now dropped its past seven playoff series.
Orem will host the winner of Monday night's Great Falls-Missoula game Wednesday night in the opener of a best-of-three championship series.