Boise, Northern Colorado Walk-Off, Owlz Sweep Doubleheader
As the Opening Day contest resumed at Future Legends Field, the first doubleheader of the 2023 season kicked off with two down-to-the-wire matches.
As the Opening Day contest resumed at Future Legends Field, the first doubleheader of the 2023 season kicked off with two down-to-the-wire matches. After the Rocky Mountain Vibes held their lead to the eighth inning, Northern Colorado's Payton Robertson took Jackson Cunningham yard to knot the game at three apiece – Robertson's second homer of the game. After loading the bases, Estevan De La O drove in Jonathan Hodo to take the lead late in the contest. Keon Taylor secured the save and after a short break, the teams took the diamond once again for a seven-inning rematch.
The Vibes came out of the gates hot with Brandon Trammell homering to score three early, and even after the Owlz scored four of their own in the second, the Vibes kept their foot on the gas to go up 7-4 going into the sixth. It's here where left fielder Abdel Guadalupe turned on the heroics to lead the Owlz to a comeback victory, driving in Dakota Popham and scoring himself on a Josh Glenn homer. Finally, a costly passed ball by Vibes catcher Brady West allowed De La O to slide under Cedano's tag, freeing the plate for Guadalupe to single Henry George home to walk off a chaotic day in Windsor.
Hawks and Chukars Trade Blows in Tight Contest, Walters Walks it Off For Boise
In the season debut of the Boise Baconators, the hometown Hawks and the Idaho Falls Chukars battled in a staring contest, and it was the Chukars that blinked first. After Zach May's RBI single and Chris Monroe's three run moonshot put Idaho Falls on top early, the Hawks capitalized on a wild pitch and a D.J. Poteet RBI double to stay within striking distance. A two-run fourth for Idaho Falls and three-run fourth for Idaho Falls resulted in a 6-6 game going into the fifth, and it stayed knotted for four and a half innings. As the sun set behind the highlands, a costly error from second baseman Brandon Bohning allowed Poteet to reach first, and a nearly passed ball gave pinch runner Kenny Oyama the chance to move 90 feet to second. First-time Hawk Anthony Walters doubled into left-center to end the day's action on another wild walk-off, earning Boise their first home victory of the season.
Raptors' Balanced Attack Ignites Offense in Second Win of Homestand
What turned out to be a beautiful baseball day in Ogden was made even better by the Raptors' performance on the diamond, shutting down and stranding the Jackalopes throughout the day. After the defending Pioneer League champs scored five in the first three innings, the Raptors responded with 11 unanswered runs, securing the 11-5 victory. Second baseman Dakota Conners drove in three runs, giving him seven RBIs through the first two games of the season, recent PBL Draft pick Nick Ultsch collected two hits. The Raptors were efficient with their hitting, scoring 11 on seven hits and only striking out three times, and four of their five pitchers did not record a single run on the day and allowed only three hits combined.
Howell, Fitzgerald Lead Range Riders Past Voyagers to Even Series
After dropping their road opener, the Glacier Range Riders got their revenge against the Great Falls Voyagers by jumping off to a 7-0 lead and keeping the home team at bay. In his PBL debut, Jonathan Pintaro recorded four strikeouts and one earned run, stranding four on base in an efficient outing. His teammates also lit up the scoreboard with Benjamin Fitzgerald batting in three runs in four plate appearances and Gabe Howell batting in an additional three and a solo home run. Great Falls' bats could find contact, but the runners just couldn't reach the plate until it was too late, leading to a rubber match in Montana on the 25th.