OGDEN -- A pair of home runs from Owlz was the difference as Orem handed Ogden their third-straight loss Wednesday night at Lindquist Field.
Despite outhitting Orem 7-5, Ogden couldn't find the timing and stranded ten on their way to a 4-2 loss.
"We chased a lot of bad balls and swung at a lot of pitches," Ogden skipper Damon Berryhill said. "We're just trying to do too much at the plate right now."
Orem scored with two outs in the first on an RBI double from Brandon Decker that hit the left center field wall, scoring Kole Calhoun.
Austin King was the first Raptor on base in the first after topping a pitch just over Orem shortstop Ryan Broussard's outstretched mitt.
King stole his 13th base of the season on the next pitch, and recently named league MVP Jake Lemmerman brought him home with base hit down the third base line--the RBI was Lemmerman's 45th.
In the fourth, Orem center fielder Travis Witherspoon put the Owlz back on top 2-1 with a solo shot to right center field off Ogden starter Gustavo Gomez.
In just his second start, Gomez (1-0) struck out five and held the Owlz to three runs (two earned) on three hits through five innings.
On the other side of the mound, Orem's Kevin Johnson put the Raptor bats on ice, allowing one run on six hits through six innings and retiring the last seven Raptors he faced.
While Ogden struggled to bring runners around, Orem found another run in the fifth as Gomez hit Thomas Nichols with a pitch to lead off the inning.
After a sacrifice bunt and wild pitch moved Nichols to third, Andrew Heid's put a base hit to third scoring Nichols and giving the Owlz a 3-1 lead.
Ogden loaded the bases when Orem reliever Brian Diemer walked Leon Landry who extended his on-base streak to 13 games.
Diemer walked in Jesse Bosnik getting the Raptors within one.
It didn't stay that way for long as Andrew Heid got just enough of Jake McCarter's 2-1 pitch to eek it over the left field wall in the top of the eighth.
Ogden rallied late, loading the bases with two outs in the ninth before Nick Akins logged his fourth strike out of the evening, stranding two more to end the game.
"Offensively we need to make them throw strikes," Berryhill said. "The last few nights we've been swinging too much at the breaking balls in the dirt and missing out on good pitches."
Ogden (21-15; 44-30 overall) finishes the regular season against Orem (19-17; 38-36 overall) tonight before diving right into post-season play at Orem again on Friday evening.
Saturday and if necessary Sunday's games will be at Lindquist Field and Dodger legend Tommy Lasorda will be back in town on Saturday (Sunday if needed) to watch his alma mater continue their hunt for a league championship.
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