Smith single lifts Ogden to series split
(September 5, Ogden, UT) - A night after snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, the Ogden Raptors reversed the process, this time stealing one from the rival Orem Owlz.
Trailing 8-5 in the bottom of the eighth, Ogden scored three times to tie the score. In the bottom of the ninth, Blake Smith singled home pinch-runner David Iden from second base to give the Raptors a dramatic 9-8 win.
With both teams resting many regulars in preparation for next week's playoff series, the Owlz jumped on Raptors starter Edwin Contreras for four runs in the top of the first. Contreras settled down after that, completing 4.0 innings while allowing just those four runs.
Bryant Hernandez, whose late error Friday cost the Raptors a chance to win, laced a run-scoring triple to get Ogden on the board in the second. It was the first of four hits on the night for Hernandez.
Trailing 4-2 in the bottom of the third, catcher Gorman Erickson capped a long at-bat with an opposite field two-run home-run. The game-tying shot was Erickson's fifth long ball of the year.
The Raptors took a 5-4 lead in the fifth on Kyle Orr's two-out RBI double, but the bullpen could not hold the lead. After the Owlz stormed in front with two in the seventh off of J.B. Paxson, Justin Bass opened up the Orem lead with a two-run shot off of Javier Solano in the eighth.
That's when Ogden began its comeback. With men at first and second and one away in the eighth, Austin Yount singled in a run to cut the deficit to two. Newly-minted 2009 Pioneer League MVP Brian Cavazos-Galvez followed with a run-scoring fielder's choice, and after Cavazos-Galvez stole second, Clay Calfee singled him home to tie the score.
Steve Ames (1-0) struck out the final two men in the top of the ninth to set the stage for the winning rally.
Keyter Collado, who had entered the game for Erickson in the sixth, opened the ninth with a four-pitch walk. With Iden pinch-running at first, Kyle Orr dropped down a sacrifice bunt. Then Smith, who had not played since August 17 while nursing a strained hamstring, hit a sharp grounder between third and short into left-field.
Owlz left-fielder Justin Bass got to the ball quickly, and his throw to the plate appeared to beat Iden. But Iden somehow eluded Orem catcher Ikko Sumi's tag, giving the Raptors their second walk-off win of the week.
Ogden travels to Idaho Falls to begin a quick two-game series Sunday and Monday, with each game getting under way at 2:00 p.m. Elisaul Pimentel returns to the rotation Sunday against the Chukars.
Trailing 8-5 in the bottom of the eighth, Ogden scored three times to tie the score. In the bottom of the ninth, Blake Smith singled home pinch-runner David Iden from second base to give the Raptors a dramatic 9-8 win.
With both teams resting many regulars in preparation for next week's playoff series, the Owlz jumped on Raptors starter Edwin Contreras for four runs in the top of the first. Contreras settled down after that, completing 4.0 innings while allowing just those four runs.
Bryant Hernandez, whose late error Friday cost the Raptors a chance to win, laced a run-scoring triple to get Ogden on the board in the second. It was the first of four hits on the night for Hernandez.
Trailing 4-2 in the bottom of the third, catcher Gorman Erickson capped a long at-bat with an opposite field two-run home-run. The game-tying shot was Erickson's fifth long ball of the year.
The Raptors took a 5-4 lead in the fifth on Kyle Orr's two-out RBI double, but the bullpen could not hold the lead. After the Owlz stormed in front with two in the seventh off of J.B. Paxson, Justin Bass opened up the Orem lead with a two-run shot off of Javier Solano in the eighth.
That's when Ogden began its comeback. With men at first and second and one away in the eighth, Austin Yount singled in a run to cut the deficit to two. Newly-minted 2009 Pioneer League MVP Brian Cavazos-Galvez followed with a run-scoring fielder's choice, and after Cavazos-Galvez stole second, Clay Calfee singled him home to tie the score.
Steve Ames (1-0) struck out the final two men in the top of the ninth to set the stage for the winning rally.
Keyter Collado, who had entered the game for Erickson in the sixth, opened the ninth with a four-pitch walk. With Iden pinch-running at first, Kyle Orr dropped down a sacrifice bunt. Then Smith, who had not played since August 17 while nursing a strained hamstring, hit a sharp grounder between third and short into left-field.
Owlz left-fielder Justin Bass got to the ball quickly, and his throw to the plate appeared to beat Iden. But Iden somehow eluded Orem catcher Ikko Sumi's tag, giving the Raptors their second walk-off win of the week.
Ogden travels to Idaho Falls to begin a quick two-game series Sunday and Monday, with each game getting under way at 2:00 p.m. Elisaul Pimentel returns to the rotation Sunday against the Chukars.