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Show HILLTOP TIMES Hilltop TIMES Aug. 22, 2013 Cat-and-mouse play: Raptors lose after trying to come back BY JON OGLESBY Standard-Examiner correspondent 0 GDEN — During the top of the fifth inning on Aug. 16, with the Great Falls Voyagers leading the Ogden Raptors 12-6, there wasn't a lot of positive energy throughout Lindquist Field. My, how fast things can change in America's pastime. The Raptors came back to tie the game, before Great Falls scored three runs in the ninth to suck the energy back out, finally going ahead in a wild, offensefilled 15-12 victory in front of 6,163 fans, in Pioneer League action. Things started brightly for Ogden, as the Raptors took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, with Adam Law scoring on a Jesus Valdez sacrifice groundout. After Great Falls briefly tied the game, the Raptors put four on the board in the second, with Jesmuel Valentin, Austin Cowen and Zach Babitt scoring on a bases-clearing Law double; giving Ogden a 5-1 lead. However, just as they did Wednesday, the Voyagers went on a tear, scoring eight runs in the top of the third inning. Notable plays in the inning included center fielder Adam Engel's three-run home run over the left-field wall. There was only one other extra base hit in the inning — a double courtesy of catcher Dillon Haupt. Other than that, it was a series of singles which gave Great Falls a 9-5 lead at inning's end. Both teams would play a game of cat-and-mouse for the middle innings, with the Voyagers scoring three runs in the top of the fifth, before Ogden returned the favor in the bottom half of the inning, with designated Alex Santana and left fielder Jacob Scavuzzo crossing the plate for the Raptors, cutting the Great Falls lead to 128. Ogden picked up another two runs in the sixth, which bolstered the hopes of a Raptor comeback, as the Voyager lead was cut to 1210. The Raptors tied the game in the bottom of the seventh, as Adam Law's double scored Gerson Nunez and Valentin, knotting the game at 12-12. The tie was almost broken in the top of eighth inning, as Justin Jirschele lined a single into leftfield, leaving Voyager designated hitter Zac Fisher sprinting home. However, Scavuzzo threw a bullet home, allowing Austin Cowen to tag Fisher out at home, preserving the tie. Great Falls would have the last laugh though in the ninth inning, with Jairo Kelly scoring on a Shyock RBI single for the go-ahead run. Then, a controversial play at the plate, where it looked like Cowen tagged out Engel at the plate but was called safe, led to the ejection of Raptors manager Damon Berryhill by home plate umpire Marc Lindsey. More importantly, it gave the Voyagers a 14-12 lead. Great Falls would tack on one more. In a game which featured 34 hits between the two teams, Great Falls' Jeffrey McKenzie earned the win, going the 2.1 innings, earning two strikeouts. Ogden starter Victor Araujo was rocked, giving up nine earned runs on 11 hits. STAFF SGT. STACI MILLER/U.S. Air Force Col. Kathryn Kolbe, commander of the 75th Air Base Wing at Hill Air Force Base, throws an honorary first pitch at the Ogden Raptors Military Appreciation Night at Lindquist Field in Ogden, on Aug. 16. Senior Airman Christopher Bloom, 75th Medical Support Group, and his daughter, Elle, meet Oggie, the mascot for the Ogden Raptors, during Military Appreciation Night at Lindquist Field in Ogden, Aug. 16. To celebrate the night, the Raptors offered free tickets to Team Hill personnel. The Hill Air Force Base Honor Guard, carries in the colors for the national anthem during the Ogden Raptors Military Appreciation Night at Lindquist Field. The Melodic Medics from the 75th Medical Group sang "The Star Spangled Banner." Several activities were held between innings for children and family members including runs around the bases, a race with Oggie, and an air guitar contest. For the Seventh Inning Stretch the Air Force Song was featured. 9 |