Raptors catcher Chris Sargent ripped four home runs in the final two games of the team’s road series at Grand Junction to become the franchise’s single-season home run king.

Sargent hit two in a 14-8 win Saturday to secure a series victory for Ogden, then two more in a 10-8 loss Sunday to conclude the series.

Sargent has 33 home runs this season. His two homers Saturday sent him past Reese Alexiades, who hit 29 homers in 2023. Notably, Sargent’s 31 homers came through 76 team games, the total that matches the Pioneer Baseball League’s old short-season format.

Now in the independent era, Ogden has 18 games left for Sargent to add to his total. Somehow, he’s only tied for second in the PBL as Missoula’s Roberto Peña is on an even more ridiculous pace, totaling 41 homers in 77 games to crush the league’s season record.

Sargent has also totaled 124 RBIs this season, tied for the Pioneer League single-season record (Steven Rivas, Rocky Mountain, 2024). The next run he drives in will give him the record, though Peña is hot on his heels with 116 RBIs.

At 44-33 overall and 18-12 in the second half, the Raptors are well-positioned to stay in the second-half playoff race with three weeks left. Oakland (60-18, 23-7) and Missoula (56-22, 23-7), winners of first-half playoff berths, continue to pace the league in the second half.

If that holds, what happens behind them determines the final two teams to make the PBL playoffs. The Raptors are currently tied for third in overall record with Idaho Falls; those two are 2 1/2 games ahead of Boise and Yuba-Sutter (both 42-36 overall).

Ogden spends the next week at Lindquist Field, facing the Rocky Mountain Vibes (36-41, 14-16) for the only time this season from Tuesday through Sunday.

That sets the table for the final stretch in which Ogden likely controls its own destiny. The Raptors are in Billings from Aug. 26-28, then face Idaho Falls for three games Aug. 29-31, before hosting Boise from Sept. 2-7 to close the regular season.

FRI: OGDEN 8, GJ 7

Solo homers from Cole Jordan in the sixth and Connor Bagnieski in the seventh helped the Raptors lead narrowly from start to finish in a Friday win.

Nik Cardinal pitched a 1-2-3 ninth with two strikeouts to save the victory. Dylan Gardner got the win in two scoreless relief innings, striking out five and allowing one hit.

Damian Stone hit 2 for 4 and Sargent was the team’s only multi-RBI hitter with two.

SAT: OGDEN 14, GJ 8

Sargent’s two-run homer in the second and solo shot in the fifth helped Ogden to a 14-3 lead through seven innings. Eli Elliott took the win on the mound, allowing three runs on four hits through five innings, striking out four and walking three.

Bagnieski also homered and True Fontenot hit two doubles.

SUN: GJ 10, OGDEN 8

Bagnieski (who has 19 homers for the season) and Sargent each homered in the first inning for a 3-0 lead but the Raptors couldn’t erase a 10-3 deficit through four innings in a Sunday afternoon loss.

Jordan doubled in a run in the fifth and Sargent’s solo homer in the ninth got it to 10-8 but GJ closer Reese Miller otherwise struck out the side to get the home team a win to close the series.