For the Ogden Raptors, the rhyming scheme was nearly perfect.

Ogden opened the second half of the Pioneer Baseball League season Wednesday with a doubleheader at Idaho Falls (due to a rainout Tuesday). The first game played out very much like the Raptors’ season-opener on May 20 at Oakland: the Raptors recorded a multi-run inning late to take the lead, gave up runs in the bottom half of the final inning to tie the game 4-4, then lost in a Knockout Round home run derby.

Ogden (26-23, 0-2 second half) got a double dose of it Wednesday, too. After losing the first game of the doubleheader 5-4 in Knockout fashion, the two teams did it again in the nightcap. Idaho Falls (29-20, 2-0) scored twice in the bottom of the seventh yet again to tie it 3-3, and won a Knockout tiebreaker to claim a 4-3 victory.

Unfortunately, five seasons into Knockout Round play, the Pioneer League and its content/box score system still do not record scoring details for Knockout Round action. That information was unavailable Wednesday night.

Via social media site X, the Chukars reported that Gabe Vasquez, who missed two chances to win both games in the bottom of the seventh inning by recording the final outs, was the victor in both Knockout competitions.

GAME ONE

Chris Sargent’s solo home run and a Carmine Lane RBI double had Ogden up 2-0 in the first inning. Ogden’s other runs came in the sixth on an error, then a bases-loaded walk drawn by Dylan Wilkinson. With the bases still loaded, Elliott Good grounded into a double play to end that threat.

Rolando Gutierrez Rosario tried to give the Raptors a complete game in the seven-inning contest and took the mound in the bottom of the seventh with a 4-2 lead.

Rosario issued a walk, allowed a single, threw a wild pitch and the Chukars plated a run on a sacrifice fly to make it 4-3. Usually stout closer Nik Cardinal took the ball there, hit a batter, threw a wild pitch and walked another.

With the bases loaded, Cardinal plunked Jacob Jablonski to score Garret Ostrander and tie the game 4-4. Facing the same scenario again, Cardinal struck out Gabriel Vasquez to leave the bases loaded and send the game to the home run tiebreaker, which Idaho Falls won.

Gary Grosjean went the distance for Idaho Falls while allowing two earned runs on six hits, striking out six and walking two.

GAME TWO

Uncannily rhyming again, Ogden took a 3-0 lead through three innings in Wednesday’s second game, with Elliott Good keying matters with a two-run single in the second.

Chase Chatman was in line for the win, throwing five innings of one-run ball for Ogden while allowing seven hits and striking out five. But Idaho Falls starter Shane Spencer went the distance (meaning the home team used just two pitchers through two games) by allowing three hits over the final four innings.

That gave Idaho Falls room to get back in the game. Cameron Edmondson pitched a scoreless sixth for the Raptors, handing the ball to usual closing ace Nik Cardinal. Cardinal issued a leadoff walk and the next batter, catcher Thomas McCaffrey, left the yard for a two-run homer to tie the game 3-3.

The Chukars got two more runners on, putting the winning run on second, but Cardinal again got Gabriel Vasquez out to end regulation and send the game to Knockout, which Idaho Falls won.