Akins' slam leads twelve-hit attack
(August 11, Helena, MT) - A night after they were held scoreless over the final eight innings in an 8-1 loss to Helena, the Ogden Raptors bounced back in a big way Tuesday night. Ogden pounded out twelve hits, including seven for extra bases, crushing the Brewers 16-6 to even the four-game series at one apiece.
Nick Akins, the rookie from Vanguard University just promoted from the Arizona League last Saturday, blasted an opposite field grand slam in the seventh inning to break open a 6-4 game that turned into a Raptor rout. Akins' homer came two innings after Brian Cavazos-Galvez drove his eleventh of the season deep to left-center field off of Brewers' starter Nick Bucci.
Bucci (6-1) came in to Tuesday undefeated with a sub-3.00 ERA, and showed why early on. He struck out five of the first six men he faced, and had seven punch-outs through 3.0 innings. But Ogden scored once in the third and then three more times in the fourth when Blake Smith drove home two with an opposite-field double and Akins followed with an RBI double of his own.
Ogden led 4-0 entering the bottom of the fourth, as Brett Wallach worked a career-high 3.0 innings of scoreless ball, surrendering just two hits. Antonio Castillo (4-2) came on in the fourth and immediately lost the entire lead. Brewers catcher Mike Roberts unloaded the bases with a three-run double to even the score. Cavazos-Galvez got the lead back for Ogden with his long ball the very next inning, however, and the Raptors would not give this lead up.
The Raptors added six more runs in the ninth inning on four hits, as every Ogden batter had at least one hit in the game. J.B. Paxson pitched the final 3.0 innings to earn his third save.
The clubs will continue their series Wednesday night as the Raptors' Elisaul Pimentel battles Jake Odorizzi with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 pm.
Nick Akins, the rookie from Vanguard University just promoted from the Arizona League last Saturday, blasted an opposite field grand slam in the seventh inning to break open a 6-4 game that turned into a Raptor rout. Akins' homer came two innings after Brian Cavazos-Galvez drove his eleventh of the season deep to left-center field off of Brewers' starter Nick Bucci.
Bucci (6-1) came in to Tuesday undefeated with a sub-3.00 ERA, and showed why early on. He struck out five of the first six men he faced, and had seven punch-outs through 3.0 innings. But Ogden scored once in the third and then three more times in the fourth when Blake Smith drove home two with an opposite-field double and Akins followed with an RBI double of his own.
Ogden led 4-0 entering the bottom of the fourth, as Brett Wallach worked a career-high 3.0 innings of scoreless ball, surrendering just two hits. Antonio Castillo (4-2) came on in the fourth and immediately lost the entire lead. Brewers catcher Mike Roberts unloaded the bases with a three-run double to even the score. Cavazos-Galvez got the lead back for Ogden with his long ball the very next inning, however, and the Raptors would not give this lead up.
The Raptors added six more runs in the ninth inning on four hits, as every Ogden batter had at least one hit in the game. J.B. Paxson pitched the final 3.0 innings to earn his third save.
The clubs will continue their series Wednesday night as the Raptors' Elisaul Pimentel battles Jake Odorizzi with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 pm.