From Deseret News archives:
Owlz rally to sweep Brewers
Rather than being defensive at the plate when falling behind 1-2 and 0-2, Orem's hitters took their best rips on what are considered pitchers' counts in rallying from a 4-1 deficit to edge the Helena Brewers 5-4 and sweep the three-game series.
Seven of the Owlz' eight hits came on 1-2 or 0-2 counts, and all five of Orem's runs scored with two outs. Also, both of Orem's late-inning scoring rallies started with two outs and nobody on base.
Things looked bleak for the Owlz when they trailed by three with two outs in the sixth, and had only managed two hits to that point off Helena starter Mike McClendon. Things changed, however, when Luis Rivera singled on an 0-2 pitch to keep the inning alive. Tyler Johnson followed with a 1-2 count single to center. Brewers reliever Mike Ramlow got ahead of Chris Pettit with two quick strikes but then hung a curve that Pettit lifted to the left-field fence to score both runners and trim Helena's lead to 4-3.
In the seventh the Brewers were again one strike from ending the inning when the Owlz had two men reach on two-out, two-strike singles. Helena closer Chris Jean was poised to end the threat when he got ahead of Orem's Peter Bourjos 0-2, but the Owlz's No. 2 hitter blistered his third pitch to deep center for a two-out, two-run triple to put Orem on top for good.
Once ahead, Orem's bullpen kept the Owlz there. But it took some clutch pitching in the ninth by closer Darren O'Day to seal the deal. Helena's Taylor Green hit a one-out single to extend his hitting streak to 17 games. Cole Gillespie kept the threat alive with a two-out bloop single over first. But O'Day put out the fire when he struck out an anxious Andy Bouchie, who had homered earlier in the game, on three straight sliders.
Early on it appeared that Helena was going to steal a win — literally. The Brewers took a 2-1 lead in the fourth by scoring a run on a double steal. Then, an inning later, they scored two more on a second double steal — which was aided by a costly throwing error by Orem catcher Ricky Bambino. On Helena's first double-steal, Bambino threw through to second base. On the second attempt he faked a throw to second and then tried to pick off the runner at third, but his throw sailed into left field, which allowed both base runners to score.
The Owlz now lead the Southern Division with a Pioneer League best 16-10 record. Orem begins a week of games in Montana today against Missoula, with the next home game set for Pioneer Day against the Casper Rockies.
E-mail: jimr@desnews.com
