Mustangs rally past Raptors for win

OGDEN — It's been a rough three days for Ogden reliever Nathan Hochgesang.

In a one-run loss to Idaho Falls earlier in the week, Hochgesang threw back-to-back wild pitches — the second on the first pitch of an intentional walk — allowing the winning run to score from third.

Thursday night against Billings, Hochgesang was snake-bit again in the 8-5 loss.

He entered the tie game in the sixth inning, and struck out the side in order.

Ivan DeJesus, who was called up Tuesday, gave Hochgesang the lead with an RBI broken-bat bloop single to right field in the bottom of the inning.

But when it came time to defend the lead, the wheels fell off.

After retiring the first hitter in the eighth, Hochgesang walked the next three hitters, putting fellow reliever Jordan Pratt in a one-out, bases-loaded jam.

Pratt threw a ground ball, but an error by DeJesus allowed two runs to score. Billings scored a total of four runs in the inning to snap a seven-game losing streak and tag Hochgesang (1-2) with his second loss in as many outings.

In all, Hochgesang and Pratt walked six batters. The Raptors walked a total of eight in the game.

"It's one of those things. If you walk too many guys they're going to score runs," Ogden manager Juan Bustabad said. "He couldn't find the zone in his second inning. There were calls that could have gone either way and they didn't go his way."

The Mustangs started the second half of the year 3-0 before the massive losing streak.

With the setback, the Raptors (6-6) have dropped six of their last seven games since starting the second half of the Pioneer League season 5-0.

The loss, coupled with Idaho Falls' victory over Missoula, creates a tie for second place in the South Division standings.

Locke's solo homer in the second inning gave the Raptors a brief 1-0 lead before the Mustangs tagged Ogden starter Mario Alvarez for three runs in the third.

Ogden answered Billings' run in the sixth with two in the bottom of the inning on an RBI single by Justin Mooneyham, and a Billings error allowed the tying run to score.

After the Mustangs' four-run inning to take the lead, the Raptors went down in order in the eighth and ninth.

DeJesus was the only player to have two hits for the Raptors.

Game 3 of the four-game series continues tonight at 7 at Lindquist Field.

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E-mail: jhinton@desnews.com