Mustangs no match for Angels, Layman

PROVO — The Provo Angels rode five hitless innings from starter Billy Layman and a flurry of early-inning extra base hits to an 14-2 demolition of the Billings Mustangs Friday night.

Layman improved to 2-2 while striking out six and walking six in five innings. Despite holding the Mustangs hitless, Layman found himself repeatedly working out of jams that arose from the walks he surrendered and a pair of Angel errors.

Center fielder Richard Giannotti walked to lead off the bottom of the first for Provo. Second baseman Josh Leblanc drove in Giannotti by lining a triple to the wall in right-center field. After Leblanc was cut down at the plate on a Josh Duff grounder back to the pitcher, Duff scored on right fielder Ben Johnson's double to right field to make it 2-0.

In the bottom of the second, the Angels added another pair of runs. First baseman Chris Walston drove home left fielder Michael Hughes with a double off the foot of the wall in left field. Walston then scored on shortstop Sean Rodriguez's slicing, two-out triple into the right field corner.

Billings starting pitcher Ramon Ramirez entered the evening with a 2.79 ERA (second-best in the Pioneer League), but was roughed up by Provo for four earned runs in only three innings of work.

The Angels extended their lead to 5-0 in the fifth when Rodriguez walked and later crossed the plate on Johnson's looping single to right field.

Any hopes of a Provo no-hitter abruptly ended in the top of the sixth when Jason Cox replaced Layman and proceeded to surrender hits to the first two batters he faced.

Mustang relief pitchers walked the first five batters they faced in the bottom of the seventh, and the Angels capitalized by tacking on six more runs to make it 11-0. Walston put an exclamation point on the rally with his second RBI double of the game.

Three straight Billings hits off Cox in the eighth inning brought first baseman Bobby Mosby around to score the Mustangs' first run.

The two teams continue their series Saturday at Miller Park with a doubleheader beginning at 6 p.m.