Early in Sunday afternoon's game, Donovan Casey provided pop to put the Ogden Raptors in front. Mitchell Hansen was consistent throughout, and he provided the biggest hit of the night as the Raptors came back from a two-run deficit to finish off a three-game sweep of the Billings Mustangs, 6-5.With
Early in Sunday afternoon's game, Donovan Casey provided pop to put the Ogden Raptors in front. Mitchell Hansen was consistent throughout, and he provided the biggest hit of the night as the Raptors came back from a two-run deficit to finish off a three-game sweep of the Billings Mustangs, 6-5.
With Gersel Pitre on first base in the ninth inning after a leadoff single, Hansen stepped up and blasted a high drive to straightaway left field. The ball caromed high off the brick wall and Pitre, who read it as a hit the entire way, dove across the plate just ahead of the relay throw for the winning run. It was the fourth hit of the night for Hansen and his fifth time reaching base, after three singles and a walk.
Casey opened the bottom of the first with a drive over the center field fence on the first pitch he saw, leading off against the Mustangs' All-Star lefty Packy Naughton. It was the first time the Raptors had led off a game with a home run this season. Casey then stepped up in the third and worked the count full before hammering another pitch to center, his second round tripper of the game and fourth of the season for a 2-0 lead.
Raptors starter Gregorio Sequera pitched well for three innings but ran into trouble in the fourth, when he hit a batter to load the bases with two out. The number nine hitter in the Mustangs order, Nadir Ljatifi, worked the count full before a double to the gap in left-center cleared the bases and gave Billings a 3-2 lead.
The visitors added a run on two singles, a balk and a sacrifice fly in the sixth, but Ogden answered with a bases-loaded single from Eric Peterson to pull back within one. A triple and wild pitch opened the Mustangs' lead to 5-3 in the seventh.
In the home half of the inning, Pitre doubled to lead off and Hansen took a walk. Romer Cuadrado hit a possible double-play ball to short, but Jeter Downs kicked it. Pitre scored, Hansen ended up on third and Cuadrado took second on the error. After a strikeout, Tyler Adkison drove a fly ball to deep center field for a game-tying sacrifice fly.
Zach Hartman came on for the ninth inning and walked the leadoff hitter. A sacrifice bunt and deep fly ball moved the runner to third, but a pop up stranded him on third and Hartman was credited with the win as his offense finished the game in the last of the ninth.
The Ogden win moves them a game ahead of Grand Junction for second place in the second half of the Pioneer League's South division, a game and a half back of Orem.
The Great Falls Voyagers come to Lindquist Field Monday for the first game of four. The first 500 fans through the gates will receive a mini-bobblehead of former Ogden Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda.
