Missed base gives Owlz an exciting win

OREM — A controversial call in the top of the ninth gave the Orem Owlz an exciting 6-5 win over the Missoula Osprey. The victory gives Orem (8-7 second half, 25-28 overall) its first back-to-back wins since late July.

The game-ending play occurred after Missoula's Derrick Walker appeared to hit a game-tying double, but the first-base umpire ruled that Walker missed touching first base and called him out for the third out of the inning. Taylor Harbin doubled in the previous at-bat to put himself into scoring position.

"I've never seen it before it 28 years," Orem manager Tom Kotchman said of the game-ending play.

Kotchman credited Gordie Gronkowski at first for noticing Walker missed stepping on first. "Gordie was watching that and that's why you do that," Kotchman added.

Before the excitement, the Owlz scored two runs in the eighth to take a one-run lead after Missoula rallied in the top of the inning. Andrew Romine's line drive to left scored Ryan Kiniry to give Orem the winning run. Kiniry previously singled to Reynaldo Navarro at short for the tying run, and advanced to second on Navarro's overthrow of first.

The wild eighth started off of Harbin's leadoff double and Walker brought him in with an RBI single for the first run of the frame. Navarro's two-run double later capped the run by the Osprey.

Orem appeared to have a handle on the game after the fifth when its two offensive leaders, Jay Brossman and Gronkowski, combined efforts gave the Owlz a 3-2 lead. An overthrow to first let Brossman advance to second. Gronkowski was next up and his hit fell safely in center field and plated Brossman.

The teams traded scores in the second and third innings, with Missoula taking the lead first and the Owlz coming back both times.

Julio Perez's tied the game for Orem with a blast over the left-field berm that knotted the game at one in the second.

Brossman led Orem at the plate with a 3-for-4 outing, while Gronkowski and Perez each brought in two RBIs and went 2-for-4.

Orem faces Missoula in the final game of their three-game series tonight at 7.