Owlz pitching duo tops Ogden

For one night anyway, the $2.1 million the Los Angeles Angels sank into a pair of late round, high school draft picks in 2004 looked like money well spent.

First baseman Mark Trumbo and starting pitcher Nick Adenhart led the Orem Owlz to a 3-2 victory over visiting Ogden Monday. Trumbo drove in all three Owlz runs with two homers, and Adenhart struck out seven over six innings without yielding an earned run in his Orem debut.

"The changeup and the curveball were good," Adenhart said. "I got lucky. I left a couple of fastballs up, but I had enough (velocity) on them that they were a little late (swinging), so it worked out."

The plotline was simple: Trumbo drove in Hainley Statia with a two-run bomb to left with two outs in the first, and then went yard again in the fourth with a solo shot to center.

Meanwhile, Adenhart breezed through six innings on 75 pitches, touching 94 on the radar gun and then handcuffing Raptor hitters with his offspeed pitches.

Trumbo and Adenhart were the Angels' two prized steals from the 2004 draft. Both consensus first round talents, Adenhart slipped to the 14th round because of a torn elbow ligament and Trumbo into the 18th because he was viewed as unsignable and bound for USC.

But with bonuses of $710,000 and $1.425 million to Adenhart and Trumbo, respectively, the Angels turned heads and did the unlikely by inking both.

While Trumbo has been raking all season for the Owlz (nine home runs, 28 doubles, 44 RBIs), this was Adenhart's first game above rookie-level Mesa, where he continued rehabbing his elbow from the Tommy John surgery he underwent less than 15 months ago.

"I think I'm back to where I was (before the surgery)," Adenhart said. "Velocity's pretty much the same, probably a little better than it was before I got hurt. I've had a chance to clean up a lot of mechanics being hurt, and find the zone a lot more.

"I'm feeling good, probably pitching the best of my career right now."

Ogden's first run came in the top half of the fourth. Adenhart surrendered a leadoff double to Raptors second baseman Jesus Soto, who advanced to third on a passed ball and scored on an error by Owlz second baseman Marco Albano.

In the top of the eighth, Ogden began to rally off of Orem reliever Timothy Didjurgis until Kevin Lynch came in from the bullpen to slam the door.

The Raptors ended up getting a run off Didjurgis in the eighth, but Lynch stranded the would-be tying run on third to end the eighth and then pitched a scoreless ninth to earn his ninth save.

The victory extends the Owlz' lead over Ogden in the Pioneer League southern division standings to two games with only three regular season contests remaining.

Orem and the Raptors conclude their four-game set tonight. Fireworks will follow the game as part of a fan appreciation promotion.

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E-mail: jaskar@desnews.com