OGDEN, Utah, Sept. 18, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — The Ogden Raptors captured their second Pioneer Baseball League championship in team history with a 7-5 victory over the Billings Mustangs on Monday night.
The Raptors won the championship series 2-0, opening with a 7-4 victory Saturday in Ogden before clinching the victory in Billings, Montana.
In Monday’s finale, Ogden trailed 1-0 early before its offense got rolling and loaded the bases in the top of the fourth inning. Cameron Phelts drew a walk to score Jonathan Soto, and Josh Broughton then cleared the bases with a three-RBI triple to give the Raptors a 4-1 lead.
Ogden extended its advantage to 5-1 in the fifth on an RBI single from Landen Barns, then made it 6-1 when Juan Teixeira delivered an RBI single in the sixth.
Billings added a run in the bottom of the sixth inning before Ogden’s Logan Williams hit an RBI single in the top of the seventh to give the Raptors a 7-2 lead.
The Mustangs got a home run from John Michael Faile in the eighth and two more runs in the ninth to cut the lead to 7-5 before the Raptors closed out the victory.
Starting pitcher Mitchell Stone went 5.2 innings and earned the win for the Raptors, allowing just two earned runs on four hits while striking out seven and walking two.
The Raptors hit three home runs in Saturday’s series opener, getting two from Williams and another from Reese Alexiades.
Matthew Hess got the start and the win for Ogden in the opener, allowing three earned runs on six hits with a strikeout and a walk. Dan Kubiuk closed out the game on the mound, retiring the final four batters to earn the save.
The Raptors previously won the Pioneer Baseball League championship in 2017.
Ogden Raptors in the Pioneer Baseball League championship series
- 1996 — Lost to Helena Brewers, 2-0.
- 2010 — Lost to Helena Brewers, 2-0.
- 2011 — Lost to Great Falls Voyagers, 2-0.
- 2012 — Lost to Missoula Osprey, 2-1.
- 2017 — Defeated Great Falls Voyagers, 2-1.
- 2019 — Lost to Idaho Falls Chukars, 2-1.
- 2023 — Defeated Billings Mustangs, 2-0.
NOTE: The Ogden Reds defeated the Boise Pilots 3-0 in 1940 and 3-1 in 1941 to win the championship series. The Ogden Dodgers won the PL title four consecutive seasons from 1966 to 1969, though no playoffs were held.
