Raptors wait till late; rally puts them into 2nd

OGDEN — If it weren't for the last minute most people wouldn't get much done. The same goes for the Ogden Raptors.

Blake DeWitt delivered a two-run double with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to lead the Raptors (7-8) to the 7-6 victory over the Idaho Falls Chukars Thursday night.

"That's big for him. He's starting to swing the bat better again," said Ogden manager Travis Barbary of DeWitt, who was hitting .270 with 29 RBIs heading into the game. "He was patient enough to know the guy had to come after him, and he got a pitch to handle, and he didn't miss it."

Dan Batz and B.J. Richmond opened the ninth with base hits and Justin Ruggiano added a sacrifice fly pull the Raptors to within a run. Ryan Russ and David Nicholson drew walks to set the table for DeWitt's double of the right-field wall to for the game-winner.

With the win, the Raptors pull into a second-place tie with the Chukars in the South Division standings. It appears the two teams will battle it out for the final playoff spot, should Provo win the second half. If Provo wins the second half, the team with the best overall record will earn the spot. With 23 games remaining the Chukars hold a half-game lead over the Raptors in overall record. The two teams will meet seven more times, including Game 2 of the three-game series tonight at Lindquist Field.

"We talked to them two days ago and told them we still have a chance if we beat Idaho Falls and stay ahead of Casper," Barbary said, noting that the Provo Angels are playing so well right now that it might be tough to catch them. "They know there's a lot at stake."

The Raptors had a tough time getting started against Idaho Falls left-hander J.P. Howell. He allowed three runs (two earned) on just one hit in 4 1/3 innings.

During the Raptors' offensive struggles, the Chukars tagged Ogden starter Jordan Pratt for five runs on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings to take a 5-3 lead after five innings.

After a solo homer by Russell Brown in the top of the eighth increased the Chukars' lead to 6-4, the Raptors' bats finally came alive just in time in the ninth.

The Raptors had four of their eight hits off reliever Billy Buckner in the last two innings, and it was enough to get the much-needed victory. The Raptors threatened to score in the eighth. Barbary sent DeWitt from second on a error by Idaho Falls, but he was gunned down at the plate. DeWitt later got Barbary off the hook with the clutch hit one inning later.

Russ, DeWitt and Batz all had three hits for the Raptors, while Aaron Klusman improved to 2-1 with his one inning of relief.

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E-mail: jhinton@desnews.com