×
×
homepage logo
SUBSCRIBE

Red-hot Billings sweeps Raptors with 5-homer Sunday

By Brett Hein - Standard-Examiner | Sep 3, 2023

The Billings Mustangs finished a six-game sweep of the Ogden Raptors by bashing five home runs in a 14-11 victory Sunday afternoon at Lindquist Field.

Newcomer Brayde Hirai took the loss on the hill for Ogden (45-45, 14-28), giving up eight earned runs in a start of 4 2/3 innings — though it was Brandon McCabe and Marshall Shill combining to allow five runs in the eighth inning, on two longballs, that put the game away.

Billings (47-43, 28-14) has won 13 straight. Ogden, which was 31-17 in the first half, has lost 12 of its last 14 and now has an overall season win percentage of .500.

The game started with fireworks. John Michael Faile hit a two-run homer in the top of the first for Billings.

Josh Broughton led off the bottom of the first with a triple and was thrown out at the plate going for a home run. But Reese Alexiades doubled and Juan Teixeira homered over the fence to tie the game 2-2 after one inning.

But Billings scored the next seven. Luke Fennelly homered in the second and hit a two-run double in the third. Mikey Edie’s two-run homer in the fifth made it 9-2.

Most of the Raptors’ offense the rest of the way came via Nick Ultsch. Ultsch hit a two-run triple in the fifth as Ogden closed the margin to 9-7.

Ultsch also hit a bases-clearing triple in the ninth, but that came after Faile and Fennelly each homered again in the eighth inning to make it 14-7. So Ultsch’s second triple only got the score to 14-10.

The Raptors close out their home schedule Tuesday and Wednesday against Northern Colorado before ending the regular season with three games in Idaho Falls from Sept. 7-9.

Monday night’s game at Lindquist Field was rained out. Ogden and Northern Colorado will play a doubleheader at 4 p.m. Tuesday, then the home finale at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.

The playoffs come the following week, with the first-half division champion Raptors likely to face either Rocky Mountain or Grand Junction; the Vibes currently lead the Jackalopes by one game in the second-half standings.

Newsletter

Join thousands already receiving our daily newsletter.

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)