| Show Orem and Ogden Raptors battle for Pioneer League Championship Spot Carli Contributing Writer As Patrick Reilly sent a two-run two homer high over the right field wall the Ogden crowd f e 1 1 quiet OwlS 9 and quiet Raptors 1 was how the y stayed That was effectively the swing that shut down the hometown Raptors' Raptors playoff hopes Reillys Reilly's gave the theOrem theOrem theOrem Orem a lead it would not surrender in the 9 1 vie vic vic vic- tory that continued the playoff chase and ended the Raptors' Raptors season on Sunday Sept 11 In a Beehive State battle Orem and Ogden faced offin off offin offin in a three of series to decide which Utah team would be Southern Division Champion and advance to the Pioneer League Championships Each team won a game on its home field before Ogden forced Game Three on its own turf Far different than the unearned runs and pitching battles seen in Games One and Two vo Orem turned Game 3 into batting tice In the fourth inning led by Reillys Reilly's the posted six runs Two vo more solo homers and a few more strategic hits later Orem had an run eight-run lead The 16 hits in the final meeting matched what both teams had combined for in inthe inthe inthe the previous two games of the series Ogden's lone spark of the afternoon came from a Juan Rivera We just try to tell our players to keep their mouths shut and play the game right and good things will happen to good people Orem manager manager manager man man- ager Tom Kotchman said Game One started things out with a pitching duel Orem's Jose Arredondo kept the Raptors in check as he hurled 13 strikeouts over eight innings pitched Arredondo also surrendered only two hits and issued one walk over the course of the night Despite only allowing four hits the entire game it was Ogden's poor pitching that cost the Raptors the 2 1 contest Orem exploited Ogden reliever David Horlacher in the bottom of the seventh inning second baseman Billy Boyer started things off with a double and two walks followed followed followed fol fol- fol- fol lowed to load the bases The Raptors replaced Horlacher with James McDonald to no avail McDonald walked home the winning game-winning run on four straight pitches We scrapped together a arun arun arun run Kochman said follow follow- ing the game The next night the teams found themselves at at the Raptors' Raptors Lindquist Field in Ogden Facing elimination the Raptors embarrassed the scoring four unearned runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to come away with a 4 1 victory BJ Sutherland began the rally with a bunt down the third base line drawing in Orem third baseman Dallas Morris to field the ball Morris overthrew the force out at third and the ball wound d up in the bullpen By the time the got the ball into the infield again two Ogden runners had crossed the plate A single drove in Sutherland from third and Jason lason Mooneyham was hit by a pitch to reach base A sacrifice bunt u Mooneyham and a rundown rundown run- run down moved him over to tl thud third rd A passed ball by Juan Ap Apodaca daca allowed Mooneyham to score and Ogden had turned its its' 1 0 into a three run advantage Once you put pressure on the defense things can happen happen hap hap- Juan p. p pen n Raptors manager Bustabad said The Raptors win evened out the series and forc forced d the deciding game the next day Orem hosted Helena Sept 13 to open the Pioneer League Cha Championship p series Helena wp will pt prove J a tough opponent h having ving great success during the regular season and winning its playoff playoff playoff play play- off series against Billings easily |
