Pioneer League playoffs: Vibes ace Raptors in Game 1 shutout
Ogden faces elimination Wednesday
If there were hopes the Ogden Raptors had flipped a switch heading into the Pioneer Baseball League playoffs, they might have been misguided.
The Raptors now face elimination Wednesday after the Rocky Mountain Vibes squashed the Ogden club 11-0 in Game 1 of the South Divisional series Tuesday in Colorado Springs.
Starting pitcher Nico Zeglin aced the Vibes to victory by silencing Ogden’s bats. He allowed three hits in seven shutout innings, striking out eight and walking three.
When the Raptors did get runners in scoring position, they batted 0 for 7. Rocky Mountain, on the other hand, was 6 for 12 with runners in scoring position.
First baseman Jake McMurray was a thorn for Ogden starter Mitchell Stone. Four of RMV’s first five runs were McMurray RBIs: a run-scoring single in the first, a two-run single in the second and a bases-loaded hit by pitch in the sixth.
The pitch McMurray wore in the sixth to make the score 5-0 was thrown by Rafi Vazquez but one of eight runs charged to Stone. Stone threw 5 1/3 innings and departed after surrendering three singles to load the bases. After Vazquez hit McMurray, he committed a two-run throwing error. He also surrendered two RBI singles and plated a run on a wild pitch.
By the time Vazquez got out of the sixth, the Vibes led 10-0.
Ogden totaled just five hits, and two came from Logan Williams and Cam Phelts with two outs in the ninth against reliever Blaine Traxel. Josh Broughton then popped up to shortstop to end the game.
Rafael Narea hit 2 for 3 to lead the Raptors at the plate. Along with the two ninth-inning singles, the fifth hit went to Dakota Conners.
McMurray, Dusty Stroup, Austin Elder and Elvis Peralta each totaled three hits for Rocky Mountain.
Jon Rice took over for Vazquez after the disastrous sixth inning, throwing one frame and allowing one hit on one run (a Jacob Barfield sacrifice fly). Jackson Smith allowed one hit in a scoreless eighth to close Ogden’s pitching ledger.
The Raptors won the South’s first-half title running way with a 31-17 record but posted a division-worst mark of 19-29 in the second half. That included a five-game win streak to conclude the regular season and to maintain the division’s best overall record this season. Rocky Mountain was the opposite — rallying from a poor first month to gain momentum and win the second half in the South with a 28-20 mark.
Tuesday’s game was postponed from Monday due to rain. In the North Division, red-hot Billings moved its record to 18-2 in its last 20 games by topping both-half champion Missoula 8-5 on Monday.
Both best-of-three series are scheduled to play Game 2 on Wednesday and, if necessary, Game 3 on Thursday.