What seemed to form for a moment like another Pioneer League battle quickly turned into a defeat that kept the drama alive in the first half of the North Division.
The Idaho Falls Chukars used a fifth inning with eleven runs to blow up the Ogden Raptors 18-3 on Thursday night in Idaho Falls.
With one game to go in the first half, Ogden (29-18) is days over when he won the South Division title in the first half. Idaho Falls (33-14) maintains contact with first-placed Missoula (34-13) in the North Division race after Missoula beat Billings on Thursday.
Ogden and Idaho Falls play at 7pm on Friday to end the first half, then the second half begins with three games in Ogden from Saturday to Monday. Idaho Falls wins the first half of the North with a win and a Missoula loss on Friday. Any other result delivers the title to Missoula.
Idaho Falls outfielder Kona Quiggle scored 4 for 5 on Thursday night and amassed eight RBIs by the end of the fifth inning. Quiggle cleared full bases with a double in the first for a 3-0 lead, then hit a 3-run homer in the third for a 6-3 lead.
In both cases, Ogden starter Reza Aleaziz posted two quick outs before giving up a string of hits to set up Quiggle’s RBIs.
The Raptors briefly equalized the game 3: 3 in the top of the third. Josh Broughton made a mistake, Jakob Goldfarb scattered the middle and a touch in midfield allowed Broughton to score. Goldfarb scored one hit with a sacrificial fly and Pavin Parks hit a two-out, solo homer into midfield.
Hunter Hisky hit a solo homer on Aleaziz’s fourth off to make it 7-3, and Aleaziz took the loss.
Broughton took the hill with relief and gave up six runs while he picked up one. Tyler Van Marter hit a two-run triple and Webb Little hit a two-run homer for a 13-3 score. Jackson Cunningham took over and gave up five more runs in 2/3 of an inning, a total of 11 Chukars runs in the frame.
Notably, Goldfarb apparently injured himself during the long fifth inning while diving for a ball in midfield and was taken out of play after the inning ended. Pitcher Anthony Donatella came on to play outfield.
Justin Watland pitched three shutout innings against the usual Idaho Falls starters to keep the defeat from worsening and allowed only two hits. Nick Floyd took the win for Idaho Falls and threw six innings with five strikeouts and no walks at the start.
Andrew Don also scored a total of four hits for Idaho Falls. Ogden scored a total of four hits as a team and had no hit in the last six innings.
THURSDAY POINTS
Grand Junction 9, Rocky Mountain 2
UPDATED STATUS
1 more game in the 1st half
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