The Raptors rued two missed bases-loaded opportunities and the Ballers got seven innings from starter Noah Millikan, taking Game 1 of the first-round series 4-2 in front of 3,002 fans at Raimondi Park.

Quickly, the league’s runaway best regular-season team has the four-seed Raptors facing elimination in the best-of-three series.

Two outs in the top of the first inning had things underway for Oakland until Ogden’s Connor Bagnieski drew a walk. Carmine Lane singled to right field, then Damian Stone drew a walk to load the bases.

Dylan Wilkinson got down 1-2 before working a full count, but Millikan induced Wilkinson into a groundout to the shortstop to end the threat.

Millikan was tough the rest of the way; from innings two through seven, he allowed one earned run on three hits, striking out six and walking one.

Ogden designated hitter Christian Hall had one of those hits, launching a one-out, solo homer to left field in the top of the second that tied the game 1-1.

Millikan held the Raptors hitless for three straight innings until Bagnieski singled in the sixth and later scored on a Stone poke to right field.

Tremayne Cobb Jr. was a one-man run generator to open the scoring in the bottom of the first, finishing 2 for 5 with two RBIs. It hearkened back to the May 20 season opener on the same field when Cobb hit 5 for 5 and beat the Raptors in Knockout Round.

Thursday, Cobb led off the game with a single against Raptors starter Chase Chatman. Cobb then stole second, took third on a wild pitch and scored on a Christian Almanza sacrifice fly.

Oakland answered Hall’s homer in the second when catcher Dillon Tatum led off the bottom half with a double and scored on a single from Esai Santos to make it 2-1.

Chatman lasted four innings and took the loss, putting the winning runs aboard in the bottom of the fourth by hitting Tatum and walking Santos. With two outs, Cobb doubled to left field to score both, tallying what proved to be the 4-2 final.

Chatman struck out five, walked three and allowed three earned runs on four hits in four innings.

Nico Saltaformaggio, Alain Lopez and Yordy Richard combined to pitch four scoreless bullpen innings for Ogden, allowing two hits.

Down two and with Millikan giving way to reliever Conner Richardson in the eighth, Ogden threatened again when Lane hit a two-out single. Suddenly, Ogden had the bases loaded after Stone singled and Wilkinson walked.

But similar to the first inning, it was True Fontenot who couldn’t cash in, grounding out to shortstop to end the inning.

That allowed Oakland to get the ball to closer Connor Sullivan, who led the PBL with 19 saves in the regular season. He looked the part, striking out Hall and Elliott Good before Kenny Oyama flew out to right field.

Lane was Ogden’s only multi-hit batter, going 2 for 4. Oakland outhit Ogden 6-5, with Cobb its only multi-hit batter.

Game 2 was scheduled for 7:35 p.m. MDT Friday.

In Montana, Missoula’s first-round series hosting Idaho Falls barely got underway before it was suspended by rain in the first inning. That game was scheduled to resume Friday, moving Game 2 to Saturday and a possible Game 3 to Sunday, if necessary.