Owlz Take Shootout, Have Last Laugh in Ogden
Northern Colorado clinched the series win against Ogden in a finale filled with big innings and momentum swings.
Northern Colorado clinched the series win against Ogden in a finale filled with big innings and momentum swings. The victors jumped out to a 4-1 advantage in the second thanks to a Kevin Jimenez dinger and a Payton Robertson double. The Raptors snatched control with seven runs in the fourth, sparked by a base-clearing triple from Cam Phelts, and they would extend the lead to 10-4 in the following frames. NoCo showed some life again in the seventh, taking advantage of a couple pitching miscues with runners on to trim the lead to two. Nick Ultsch would respond with an RBI single, but the game flipped on its head in the following inning. The visitors plated nine runs in the eighth, getting contributions up and down the lineup, and would end up the victors by an 18-12 scoreline. 30 runs and 38 hits were the final tallies in this shootout, with just one ball leaving the yard for each squad.
Boise 14, Missoula 1: Boise Blasts PaddleHeads in Finale
The Hawks avoided a six-game sweep with an all-around stellar performance. Things were tight at first, with a 1-1 deadlock through four, until the Hawks turned up the heat on offense in the second half of the ballgame, highlighted by an eight-spot in the seventh inning. Trevor Minder had the only home run of the contest, with Kenny Oyama and Derek Maiben each contributing three RBI. Hawks starter Brayden Spears put in seven innings of work, giving up just a single run and striking out six. Boise will hope to turn this outing into some momentum in the remaining weeks of the season, still sitting dead last in the Second-Half South standings.
Grand Junction 5, Rocky Mountain 3: Jackalopes Gain Ground in Second-Half Race
A balanced attack by the Jackalopes got them the victory, a split of the series, and kept the South Division race tense. Jacob Cruce doubled to bring home a run in the first and the visitors put up two more in the third. The Vibes responded in the middle innings with Ethan Lopez and Elvis Peralta helping them claw back to level the matchup at three. Grand Junction's pen was stingy late, and Matt Golda hit a go-ahead double in the eighth to help seal the victory. Starter Frank Racioppo had a solid day on the mound, as did Peyton Long for Rocky Mountain.
Billings 5, Great Falls 0: Repetti Rings Up Voyager Bats in Shutout Victory
In a commanding win, the Mustangs only needed one inning of scoring as Cameron Repetti's six scoreless frames kept the Voyagers at bay. Since joining Billings, Repetti has still not allowed an earned run in 15 innings. Brady West hit a three-run homer in the second inning, with a solo shot from Blake Evans and an RBI double from Luke Fennelly in addition. After dropping the first two contests this week, the Mustangs took three of the last four in this series to stay in second place ahead of Great Falls.
