The Ogden Raptors and Grand Junction Rockies were locked in another low-scoring battle Thursday night before Josh Broughton got things going yet again.
Ogden’s leadoff man tripled to lead off the top of the eighth inning, turning a 3-2 deficit into a 7-4 win for the Raptors at Suplizio Field — ending Grand Junction’s six-game win streak and keeping Ogden’s losing streak from reaching four games .
Broughton led off Wednesday’s game with a triple, then returned Thursday to lead off the contest with a double in the first (he scored on a wild pitch for an early 1-0 lead).
So in Thursday’s eighth, he tripled again with his team down a run. Jesus Valdez scored Broughton with a single to tie it 3-3, then got cleared when caught trying to steal second. That appeared somewhat costly when Reese Alexiades followed with a solo homer to put the Raptors (37-26, 8-7) ahead 4-3.
Ogden kept it going in the ninth when Grand Junction (37-26, 11-4) went to Kyler Patterson on the mound. Outfielder Brian Dansereau cracked a solo homer to lead off the inning, then Dakota Conners doubled and scored on a Sonny Ulliana single to make it 6-3 before GJ could record an out. Pitcher Christian Day pinch-ran for Ulliana, moved over to third base on a pair of outs, and scored on a Pat Adams single for a 7-3 score.
Grand Junction made the bottom of the ninth notable by scoring a run against Ogden nearer Jackson Lancaster, who pitched on back-to-back nights. Lancaster surrendered only one hit but walked two and gave up his first earned run of the season on a sacrifice fly.
Lancaster’s season totals are now a 0.59 ERA, allowing one earned run and six hits in 15 1/3 innings while striking out 27 and walking 10.
Dansereau hit 3 for 4 and Broughton was 2 for 5, each scoring twice. Six different raptors drove in one run apiece. Jake Mulholland got the win, throwing 1 1/3 scoreless to finish the seventh and complete the eighth. Riley Ottesen threw a solid six innings in his start, giving up two runs on five hits, striking out six.
The two teams continue the series at 5:35 pm Friday.
THURSDAY SCORES
7 Ogden, 4 Grand Junction
Rocky Mountain 8, Northern Colorado 7
Idaho Falls 5, Boise 4
Glacier 12, Billings 8
Missoula 13, Great Falls 8
PIONEER LEAGUE STANDINGS
second half
NORTH DIVISION
Idaho Falls 10-5 (38-25 overall)
*Missoula 9-6 (44-18)
Great Falls 8-7 (35-27)
Billings 7-8 (32-29)
Glacier 5-10 (22-40)
SOUTH DIVISION
Grand Junction 11-4 (37-26)
*Ogden 8-7 (37-26)
Northern Colorado 7-7 (24-35)
Rocky Mountain 6-8 (22-38)
Boise 3-12 (20-43)
*- denotes first-half champion
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