Ogden Raptors outfielder Reese Alexiades hit a sixth-inning grand slam to retake the home run lead in the Pioneer League but it wasn’t enough as the red-hot Billings Mustangs won their 11th straight game, and handed Ogden a fourth-straight loss, in a 7-5 decision Friday night at Lindquist Field.

Alexiades’ homer was his 25th; the team said in the game’s video broadcast that he set a new franchise record for single-season home runs.

Billings (45-43, 26-14) starter Luke Trueman held Ogden (45-43, 14-26) in check for five scoreless innings before a few hits set the table for Alexiades.

The Raptors didn’t score again until the ninth when Dakota Conners reached by error, and pinch runner Riley Ottesen came around to score on a pair of wild pitches.

The Raptors have lost 10 of their last 12.

Billings’ winning streak has it atop the North Division with eight games left. Should Billings win the half over first-half-champ Missoula, they’ll take the North’s second playoff spot. But if Missoula also wins the second half, the playoff spot is on track to go to Glacier, who is 50-37 overall and six games ahead of Billings in the season-long standings.

Ogden welcomed more than 5,100 fans, many of whom were local kids who came for Ogden School Foundation night.

Other game information was not immediately available; the Pioneer League’s website intermittently malfunctioned throughout the night and as a result, additional game statistics weren’t readily available.

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