Pioneer League championship: Raptors take Game 1 on big hits, clutch pitching to beat Billings 7-4
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- Ogden’s Josh Broughton celebrates after a leadoff triple against Billings in Game 1 of the Pioneer League championship series Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, in Ogden.
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- Ogden’s Matthew Hess pitches against Billings in Game 1 of the Pioneer League championship series Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, in Ogden.
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- Ogden’s Logan Williams points after homering against Billings in Game 1 of the Pioneer League championship series Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, in Ogden.
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- Ogden’s Logan Williams, right, slaps hands with manager Kash Beauchamp after homering against Billings in Game 1 of the Pioneer League championship series Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, in Ogden.
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- Ogden’s Logan Williams yells after hitting a home run against Billings in Game 1 of the Pioneer League championship series Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, in Ogden.
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- Ogden’s Reese Alexiades swings for a home run against Billings in Game 1 of the Pioneer League championship series Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, in Ogden.
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- Ogden’s Reese Alexiades watches his third-inning homer against Billings in Game 1 of the Pioneer League championship series Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, in Ogden.
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- Ogden’s Reese Alexiades rounds third after homering against Billings in Game 1 of the Pioneer League championship series Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, in Ogden.
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- Billings pitcher Brandon McPherson throws against Ogden in Game 1 of the Pioneer League championship series Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, in Ogden.
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- Ogden shortstop Rafael Narea (8) tries to turn a double play as Billings’ Blake Evans (19) slides in during Game 1 of the Pioneer League championship series Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, in Ogden.
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- Ogden pitcher Matthew Hess yells after helping complete a double play against Billings in Game 1 of the Pioneer League championship series Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, in Ogden.
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- Billings player John Michael Faile points after homering against Ogden in Game 1 of the Pioneer League championship series Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, in Ogden.
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- Ogden shortstop Rafael Narea fields a ball against Billings in Game 1 of the Pioneer League championship series Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, in Ogden.
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- Ogden’s Matthew Hess pitches against Billings in Game 1 of the Pioneer League championship series Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, in Ogden.
OGDEN — After lingering at Lindquist Field to enjoy the afterglow of Game 1 of the Pioneer Baseball League championship series Saturday, one fan exclaimed, “Oh, I wish we could go to Billings!” as she shuffled to the concourse.
Such are the vibes around the Ogden Raptors these days, now winners in eight of their last nine.
Ogden catcher Logan Williams homered in the first and last inning, Matthew Hess turned in a plus start and the Raptors escaped high-pressure late innings to defeat the Billings Mustangs 7-4 in front of 2,319 jubilant fans.
“One more,” at least half of Ogden’s players said as they exited the field to the clubhouse after the game.
With a travel day Sunday, the series moves to Dehler Park in Billings for Game 2 at 6:35 p.m. Monday. Game 3, if necessary, would follow there on Tuesday.
The Mustangs were winners in 19 of their last 22 games entering the title series — six of those in a sweep of Ogden earlier this month as several top Raptors pitchers were shelved on the injured list.
But after big wins from Jake Mulholland and Brock Gilliam to beat Rocky Mountain in the South Division series, the ball went to the 6-foot-7 Hess on Saturday.
Hess delivered with a victory, allowing three runs on six hits over six innings.
“He did a wonderful job on the mound today,” Williams said. “Shutdown inning after shutdown inning, he was huge for us … he’s a dog and he always shows up for us. I think being a championship game, he was a little more on point. He wants this; we all want this.”
Billings catcher John Michael Faile reached out and launched a home run to left-center to put the Mustangs up 1-0 in the first. But Hess would keep Billings off the board for the next four innings as his offense built a lead, throwing only 56 pitches through five innings.
First was Josh Broughton. The Ogden outfielder crushed a leadoff triple off the centerfield wall on the first pitch from Billings starter Brandon McPherson, just out of the reach of a jumping Mikey Edie.
Broughton scored on a wild pitch and, three batters later, Williams cracked a two-run homer to right field to give Ogden a 3-1 lead.
Centerfielder Reese Alexiades, the league’s regular-season home run leader, matched Williams with a similar home run to right, a solo shot for a 4-1 lead in the third.
That became 5-1 when Broughton led off the fifth with a single and eventually scored on another wild pitch.
Billings began to chip at Hess in the sixth when shortstop Blake Evans launched a triple high off Raptor Ridge in right-center field. He scored on a Gabe Wurtz sacrifice fly for a 5-2 score.
With a runner on first and two outs, Alejandro Figueredo lined a similar, but lower, ball to the ridge. Ogden’s stellar outfield play continued when Cam Phelts tracked the ball with a leaping catch against the wall, saving a run and ending the inning.
Hess returned for the seventh and gave up a leadoff single to Brendan Ryan. That ended his night, and Ryan would score on a Luke Fennelly infield single with Brayden Bonner pitching to make it 5-3.
Bonner gave way to lefty Quinn Waterhouse, who surrendered a single but struck out Taylor Lomack looking to end the threat with a runner in scoring position.
Things got even tighter in the eighth. Wurtz smashed a leadoff home run over the right-center ridge on the first pitch Brandon McCabe threw, trimming it to 5-4. Faile singled and Figueredo walked, and McCabe was pulled.
Foster Pace was first up to preserve the lead. He struck out Ryan, gave up a single to precariously load the bases, then induced a grounder to first that Juan Teixeira turned into an out at the plate.
With two outs, Ogden changed pitchers again and it was up to the best closer in the league.
Dan Kubiuk struck out Fennelly in three pitches, bringing the crowd to its feet.
“Hat’s off to our bullpen,” Williams said. “They’re all ready to go at any time … we’ve been pretty locked in and know we can make plays when we get in those tight jams.”
With the close-call eighth inning, insurance runs couldn’t hurt. Williams led off in the bottom of the frame.
Pitcher McLain Harris threw a slider on the corner for strike one.
“I knew he’d try to come back with it again and if he left it over the plate, it was getting smashed,” Williams said.
A 417-foot shot to straightaway center, to be precise. The Raptors had their insurance.
They got more, too, thanks to pinch-hitting outfielder Nick Ultsch, who is now 2 for 2 with two singles and an RBI hit-by-pitch on pinch hits in the last three games. He singled up the middle, was bunted to second, took third on a flyout and scored when Phelts poked a single to left field.
Not that Kubiuk would need it.
Evans, Lomack and Wurtz each bounced grounders to Rafael Narea at shortstop in the top of the ninth (Lomack’s was a particularly tough play that Narea grabbed on a short hop up the middle). Narea cleaned them up, and Ogden moved one win away from the league championship.