Lineup Scuffles in Saturday Loss to Orem

OREM, UTAH - The Osprey lineup fell silent on Saturday night in Orem, undermining their efforts at a second consecutive win and sinking the Osprey (20-22 | 1-3) to a 5-1 loss to the Orem Owlz (30-12-1 | 4-1) at the Home of the Owlz.

In a rocky first inning, Osprey starter Kai-Wei Lin stumbled out of the gates before settling in and turning in a solid outing for Missoula, despite taking his fifth loss of the season. Lin was tagged for five hits in the first, which was compounded by a pair of Osprey errors. In total, Orem plated four runs in the frame, surging to an early 4-0 lead.
Two innings later, the Osprey offered their only resistance at the plate when Eduardo Diaz led off the third with a single. The speedy outfielder then swiped second base and scored on a two-out double by Andy Yerzy down the third base line. The tally pulled the Osprey within 4-1, but Missoula failed to come closer at any point in the evening.
Beginning with the second, Lin reeled off a string of five consecutive scoreless innings, keeping the Osprey within striking distance for the duration of his start. Lin retired 14 of the final 16 batters that he faced, including a string of 11 in a row from the last batter of the first inning to the second batter of the fifth. At his departure, Lin worked six full innings, surrendering only the four first-inning runs on seven hits, striking out five without a walk.
After scoring in the third, Missoula did not put more than one man on base in any of the subsequent six innings. Only one runner reached as far as third base, but was stranded en route to a quiet 5-1 loss to Orem.
The Osprey return to action on Sunday at the Home of the Owlz, meeting up with Orem for a 4:05 p.m. first pitch to conclude their four-game series. Coverage will begin at 3:45 with the Mission Paint Pregame Show on 102.9 ESPN Missoula.