Vivas gives Ogden Raptors 2nd straight extra-innings win over Missoula
Ogden Raptors second baseman Jorbit Vivas (9) runs to third for a triple during the game against Missoula on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2019, at Lindquist Field in Ogden.
Ogden Raptors pitcher Alfredo Tavarez (30) pitches the ball during the game against Missoula on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2019, at Lindquist Field in Ogden.
Ogden Raptors shortstop Zac Ching (25) throws the ball to first base during the game against Missoula on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2019, at Lindquist Field in Ogden.
OGDEN — Missed chances gave way to a late-inning clutch home run, which gave way to some improbable escape-route pitching and, finally, another game-winning hit.
Jorbit Vivas drove in the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning and, for the second straight night, the Ogden Raptors defeated the Missoula Osprey in extra innings, this time a 3-2 win Tuesday night at Lindquist Field.
Trailing 2-1, Ogden centerfielder Andy Pages led off the bottom of the ninth inning and got down in the count 0-2. He boldly took a 2-2 pitch just off the outside corner then, with a full count, crushed a 440-foot homer to centerfield to tie the game, complete with a big bat flip as he left the batter’s box.
The Raptors (41-12, 10-5) nearly ended there it in regulation. Zac Ching followed Pages with a single. With two outs, Jon Littell hit a hard, bouncing infield single deep to the shortstop but, after Littell beat out the throw, Ching turned third base too wide and was eventually tagged out at the plate.
That was only the beginning of the drama.
Kevin Watson Jr. began the 10th inning on second base for Missoula (28-25, 8-7), per Minor League Baseball rules. Jose Reyes slapped an infield single and Luis Valbuena drew a walk to load the bases with no outs.
Mark Mixon then took the mound and induced an infield fly for the first out. Ching atoned for his baserunning by dealing with a tough, spinning grounder to shortstop off the bat of Cam Coursey and firing home to get Watson for the second out.
Mixon then blew a fastball by Nick Grande for a strikeout to miraculously escape the inning unscathed.
Jeremy Arocho began the bottom of the 10th at second for Ogden, pinch-running for Littell, and quickly took third base on a passed ball.
With one out, Vivas poked a base hit through the right side, Arocho ran home and the Raptors cleared the dugout to mob Vivas on the infield.
Ogden starter Alfredo Tavarez threw a phenomenal seven innings, giving up only three hits, striking out five, walking zero and throwing only 63 pitches (50 for strikes).
Despite that, Tavarez was on the hook for a loss with a 1-0 deficit that came on an unearned run. Sauryn Lao erased that with a two-out double in the bottom of the seventh to score Ching, who had tripled, to tie the game 1-1.
The Raptors had only two hits before that point in the seventh, one of which was a two-out triple from Vivas who was stranded at third base in the third inning.
Ogden and Missoula play the third of a four-game series at 7 p.m. Wednesday.