A day after topping the Chukars 10-2 to knock them out of first place, the Raptors rallied in late innings to claim a 9-6 win Wednesday night at Melaleauca Field, bringing Ogden (13-13) back to a .500 record.

Eli Elliott’s four-inning start was great for three frames but bad in the third inning. Idaho Falls (17-8) totaled five of its eight hits against Elliott in the third, with Simon Baumgardt’s one-out grand slam launching the home team to a 5-0 lead.

But the Chukars would only total six hits in the final six innings as the Raptors’ bullpen gave the offense space to find runs. That mostly happened after Idaho Falls starter Nathan Hemmerling exhausted 81 pitches over six innings, allowing one run (Chris Sargent scoring on a fielder’s choice groundout in the fourth) on five hits while striking out four.

Ogden designated hitter Connor Bagnieski singled in a run in the seventh and outfielder Kenny Oyama doubled home Dylan Wilkinson in the eighth to make it 5-4. A pitching change from Luke Hempel to Robert Hughes didn’t help Idaho Falls as Raptors shortstop Elliott Good hit a two-run homer for a 6-5 lead.

The Chukars struck quickly with Cameron Edmondson on the mound in the bottom of the eighth. Jacob Jablonski led off with a double and his pinch-runner scored on a Garret Ostrander single to tie the game 6-6.

But the Raptors kept pouring on the late-inning runs. Bagnieski walked to lead off the ninth and his pinch-runner Denver Blinn scored on a Sargent double off the left-field wall for what proved to be the winning run. Sargent later scored on an error and Carmine Lane on a different error during a steal attempt to provide the 9-6 cushion.

Nik Cardinal took the bottom of the ninth for Ogden. Idaho Falls did manage to bring the tying run to the plate after an error and a single, but Cardinal otherwise struck out the side to end it. Cardinal has the league’s fourth-best ERA at 0.67 (one earned run in 13 1/3 innings) and is second in saves with five.

Nico Saltaformaggio allowed one hit in two scoreless relief innings for Ogden, and Christian Ciuffetelli threw a scoreless seventh. Raptors pitchers struck out 10 batters and walked two.

The two teams play again at 7:05 p.m. Thursday.

Elsewhere in the Pioneer League, Oakland defeated Glacier, Grand Junction won another at Rocky Mountain and Billings topped Missoula in a Knockout Round derby. The results create a virtual four-way tie in first place with Missoula and Oakland at 18-8, and Idaho Falls and Rocky Mountain at 17-8. Ogden is five games back.