Raptors get 2nd-half win over Owlz

OGDEN — Three games into the Pioneer League second half, the Ogden Raptors and Idaho Falls Chukars were the only teams in the league with goose eggs in their records.

The difference: Idaho Falls' was on the right side and Ogden's on the left.

The Raptors, thanks to homers by Travis Vetters and Jaime Pedroza, finally broke into the win column Wednesday night with a 6-1 victory over second-place Orem.

Ogden scored a combined six runs in its last three games and tallied just 12 base hits. Thursday the Raptors equaled the run total and recorded 10 hits.

Reliever Wilfredo Diaz, making only his second start of the year, turned in an impressive line in recording his first victory of the season.

Diaz, a 15th-round pick in the 2005 draft, allowed just one run on four hits in five innings. He fanned three and walked two.

"We definitely needed a win to stop what was going on and get some hits going," Ogden's Matt Wallach said. "The pitchers did a great job in the (Idaho Falls) series — just a couple of pitches here, but we didn't give them the run support. It was a much-needed win."

Ogden scored single runs in the second, third, fourth, fifth innings, sixth and seventh innings.

Vetters belted a solo homer in the second. Pedroza, one of the league top hitters, hit a solo shot in the fourth, and Jaime Ortiz hit a solo homer in the seventh.

Brian Mathews drove in a run in the third and Jeremy Brown doubled home a run in the fourth.

Vetters scored for the third time in the sixth on a sacrifice fly by Jovanny Rosario.

The Raptors chased Orem starter Vladimir Veras after just four innings. Veras (4-4) allowed four runs on six hits and struck out five while walking just one.

Douglas Brooks sailed along in relief of Diaz with two scoreless innings before he gave up a hit and walked two in the top of the eighth to load the bases with only one out.

Matthew Sartor, in only his third appearance of the year, got Julio Perez to ground out into an inning-ending double play to end Orem's scoring threat. He threw a scoreless ninth to record his first save of the season.

Vetters, Pedroza and Brown paced the Raptors with two hits each.

Jay Brossman led the Owlz with two hits, and Perez drove in their only run.

The two teams square off tonight at 7 p.m. in Game 2 of the three-game set.

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E-mail: jhinton@desnews.com