Raptors rally at Missoula, lose in Knockout to open 2nd half
After the PaddleHeads exploded a Pablo Arevalo no-hit bid in the fourth inning, the Ogden Raptors rallied in the final three innings to tie Tuesday night’s game, using homers from their top two sluggers in Missoula to force the Knockout Round with a 7-7 tie.
But Ogden’s Knockout derby woes continued and Missoula claimed victory to open the second half of the Pioneer Baseball League season and begin a six-game series between the league’s first-half champions.
Keaton Greenwalt hit one out on his first swing of the Knockout Round after the Raptors failed to hit one out in the top half of the first Knockout frame. Information about who hit for Ogden was not available late Tuesday night.
Arevalo allowed just one baserunner through three innings on a two-out walk in the second and held a 1-0 lead after Dakota Conners scored fellow Ogden infielder Rafael Narea on a sacrifice fly.
That effort blew up in the bottom of the fourth when Missoula (36-13, 1-0 second half) strung together four straight one-out hits, got help on an error and went up 5-1 when PaddleHeads catcher Austin Bernard hit a two-run homer.
Arevalo threw well from there but gave way to Marshall Shill with one out in the seventh after Arevalo put Patrick Chung on base with a single and McClain O’Connor on a hit-by-pitch. Shill later balked in Chung and O’Connor scored on a groundball fielder’s choice.
That’s how the home team got to seven runs, and how Arevalo was charged with six earned runs over 6 1/3 innings.
The Raptors (31-18, 0-1) rallied back with two runs in each of the final three innings. Logan Williams hit his 10th homer of the year and Sal Gozzo scored on a groundout in the seventh.
Reese Alexiades hit his league-leading 17th home run in the eighth, a two-run shot to make the score 7-5.
In the top of the ninth, two hits and an unsuccessful fielder’s choice loaded the bases for Nick Ultsch, who singled in Narea. Phelts followed with a potential game-ending double-play ball to first base but he beat the throw back to first, allowing Damian Henderson to score and tie the game.
Alexiades then struck out with the go-ahead run on third base. Dan Kubiuk took the mound for Ogden in the bottom half and retired Missoula in order, striking out two.
Henderson finished 3 for 3 to lead Ogden; Williams was 2 for 3. Chung led Missoula by hitting 3 for 4, and Ogden outhit Missoula 10-9.
Lefty Quinn Waterhouse, essentially loaned to Missoula for a week or so to end the first half, was back in Ogden’s dugout Tuesday and threw a scoreless eighth inning.
The two teams continue play Wednesday through Sunday.
Northern Colorado and Rocky Mountain also went to Knockout tied 7-7 on Tuesday to open the second half, with the Owlz claiming that win.
Elsewhere, Ron Washington Jr. homered again for Grand Junction, keeping pace at two behind Alexiades with 15 homers on the season, as the Jackalopes beat Idaho Falls 20-13.