The Ogden Raptors secured a rare Knockout Round win Tuesday night, topping the Northern Colorado Owlz 4-3.

Ogden (42-32, 11-15) has struggled to claim wins in the extra-inning-alternative home run derby unique to the Pioneer Baseball League, but Logan Williams delivered victory this time.

Ogden’s Reese Alexiades and NoCo’s Dave Matthews tied 3-3 in the first Knockout Round before Williams won it in the second round. Additional scoring info was not available for the derby rounds.

The Raptors led the Owlz (36-37, 13-13) by a 3-1 score through seven innings. Pablo Arevalo was good in his return from the injured list, giving up one earned run in a five-inning start, striking out five and walking zero. His lone run allowed was a Euro Diaz RBI single in the second, which tied the game 1-1 after an Alexiades sacrifice fly in the first.

Ogden took the 3-1 lead in the fourth on a wild pitch and a Cam Phelts groundout RBI.

Riley Ottesen threw a perfect sixth inning for Ogden and Quinn Waterhouse faced the minimum in the seventh before the Owlz broke through in the eighth. Josh Glenn hit a two-run homer against Brandon McCabe to tie the game.

Northern Colorado almost won it in the bottom of the ninth against Ogden’s other All-Star reliever when Jackson Coutts led off with a single against Dan Kubiuk. He went to second on a sacrifice bunt and third on a groundout, but Kubiuk struck out Diaz on a full count to end regulation.

Ogden tallied seven hits and Rafael Narea had most of them, going 3 for 4.

The two teams play a rubber match Wednesday. Ogden is off Thursday, and the two teams play another three-game series, this time in Ogden, from Aug. 18-20.

OWLZ 4, RAPTORS 1

The Owlz and Raptors faced off Monday for the first time this season and turned in what had to be the fastest game in the Pioneer League’s 2023 campaign.

Four NoCo pitchers held Ogden to four hits and former Raptors pitcher Cory Wills got his 11th save of the season in a 4-1 win in 2 hours, 7 minutes.

Nathan Draves started with three innings that would have been perfect if not for hitting two batters. Brandon Kaminer got the win in 3 2/3 innings, though allowing Ogden’s lone run in a sixth-inning Logan Williams RBI single. Dalton Ross allowed one hit in 1 1/3 innings, then Wills struck out two in a perfect ninth. Those Owlz pitchers combined to strike out seven and walk just one.

Big Matt Hess took the loss for Ogden, allowing three runs on seven hits in six innings — a usually respectable start in the PBL. In a 1-1 ballgame, former Raptor Jordan Rathbone lined a two-RBI double to left field against Hess for a 3-1 lead.

Newsletter