5th Inning Propels O's Over Ogden, 7-1

In their final matchup of the regular season, the Missoula Osprey (29-26, 9-8) defeated the Ogden Raptors (42-13, 11-6) at Lindquist Field Thursday night, 7-1. Four runs scored in the 5^th inning helped put the Osprey out of reach, ending a five-game skid.  
Four Osprey pitchers combined for one run on four hits, including 10 strikeouts for their first regular-season win over the Ogden club.

Osprey starter Bobby Ay struck out one batter in one inning, turning it over to fellow right-hander Austin Pope (W, 1-2) for the next three innings. Pope waived four batters, allowing no runs on two hits.
Relieving Pope, Missoula's Jared Liebelt tossed two innings of scoreless baseball, striking out three batters. Chris Williams entered the game in the 7^th, recording the nine-out save with a run coming on two hits, striking out two.
After a two-out double from Osprey catcher Axel Andueza in the top of the 1st, an odd night for the Raptors' defense began. 1B Spencer Brickhouse popped up to the right side of the infield, which dropped fair, scoring Andueza from 2^nd. Ogden finished with four defensive errors.
A 1-0 lead held for three innings into the 5^th, when Missoula found some needed run support with four runs. Following a lead-off single from Jose Reyes, Andueza knocked his second hit of the night, but both scored on two throwing errors by the Raptors' defense.
After a pop-out from Brickhouse, the next five O's batters reached base safely. With Cesar Garcia at 2^nd on a single, and Kevin Watson at first hit by a pitch, Missoula outfielder Joe Robbins singled to right, scoring Garcia from second. 3B Carson Maxwell walked, loading up the bases.
Osprey designated hitter Nick Grande reached on a fielder's choice, scoring the fourth run in Watson from 3^rd. After tacking on another run in the 8^th, the Osprey ended their night with a final run in the 9^th inning with an RBI single from Maxwell.
The 7-1 win Thursday night kept the Osprey three games out of first in the North, with Billings winning again over Grand Junction.
The Missoula Osprey trade an eight-game road stand with now a six-game home stretch, beginning Friday night. The Osprey welcome back the Great Falls Voyagers to Ogren Park at Allegiance Field, first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 pm.
Gates for Friday open at 4 pm as Brewmasters Brewfest returns to Missoula, with an additional 12 beers on tap from local breweries at Jacks Pub.