HOMER-HAPPY RAPTORS HAMMER GRAND JUNCTION

OGDEN, UT - The Ogden Raptors started hitting home runs in the first inning Tuesday night against the Grand Junction Rockies, and they continued launching the ball throughout in an 11-4 victory.
Ogden homered five times among 18 hits to win their 29^th game of the first half, tying the Pioneer League record for best record in a first half since the half system was instituted in 1995.
Brandon Lewis started and finished the round-tripper party, hammering a two-run shot over Raptor Ridge in the first and a solo blast to the same spot in the seventh.
In between, Andrew Shaps pulled a two-run homer to right field in the third and Sauryn Lao cleared the center field wall for another two runs in the fourth. Jimmy Titus went deep for a run later in the fourth, the inning in which Ogden broke the game open.
Grand Junction kept close until the bottom of the fourth, plating single runs in the third and fourth before plating one in the fifth and one in the seventh.
In the third, the Raptors added a run after the Shaps blast. Titus singled with one out and Zac Ching doubled him to third, then Ramon Rodriguez's sacrifice fly scored the run for a 5-1 lead at the time.
Andy Pages opened the fourth with a double and scored on a Lewis single to center before the Lao and Titus homers made it 9-2.
In the fifth, Sam McWilliams nearly joined the club when his drive to left hit off the wall. He made it to third on a triple and scored on a Pages bloop to center.
Kevin Malisheski earned his fifth win of the season by dancing in and out of trouble through six innings. He allowed seven hits and three runs but tied his career high with eight strikeouts on the night.
Drew Finley and Corey Merrill teamed up for perfect innings in the eighth and ninth.
Ogden goes for the first-half wins record Wednesday night in the series and homestand finale against Grand Junction at 7:00 at Lindquist Field.