IDAHO GOES DOWN Following their defeat Wednesday night at Melaleuca Field, the Idaho Falls Chukars fell to 2-6 head-to-head against Ogden, continuing their quest to defeat the Raptors.
The Chukars (24-14) have defeated non-Ogden Pioneer Baseball League teams 22 out of 30 times. However, after a 12-7 loss to the problematic Raptors (22-16), they are now 4 games out of a playoff-clinching berth with 11 days and 10 games left before the first half ends.
In game two of the three-game set, Garrett Van Deventer was selected to start and persevered despite some poor defense. In his five innings pitched, Van Deventer (ND, 3-3) allowed five runs to cross the plate, all of which were unearned.
Shortstop Left fielder Jacob Shanks was penalized with two errors, while Anthony Mata and Van Deventer himself were both charged with one.
After missing 23 games due to injury, Rickey Tibbett made his second appearance in four days as a pitcher, giving up one run in his inning of work. After giving up three runs in the seventh inning without recording an out, Robert Hughes (L, 1-2) was given the decision.
Once more, a fiery Garret Ostrander led the Idaho Falls assault. at the sixth inning, the second baseman, who blasted his first PBL homer last Wednesday at Grand Junction, Colorado, hit a solo shot for the third time in a week, bringing the Chukars within one run, 7-6.
Ostrander had three runs and one RBI while going 3-for-5. In his last 12 games, he has amassed 11 RBIs and is 25-for-50 (.500).
Ostrander was driven in by Benjamin Rosengard’s two-run homer (8) in the first inning, which kicked off the home team’s offensive. The Chukars lead 3-0 going into the fourth. After that, the Raptors scored one or more runs in the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth innings, and the Idaho Falls’ defense completely collapsed.
Before sending the Raptors south on Thursday night, the Chukars will try to turn things around and salvage a victory. Melaleuca Field will host a postgame fireworks display following the series finale, which is slated to begin at 7:05 p.m.
Present PBL rankingsT1. PaddleHeads in Missoula (28–10)T1. The 28-10 Oakland Ballers3. High Wheelers Yuba-Sutter (26-12)4. Chukars of Idaho Falls (24-14)5. Raptors of Ogden (22-16)T6. Hawks of Boise (21-16)T6. Feelings of the Rocky Mountains (21-16)8. Jackalopes of Grand Junction (15–23)9. Mustangs from Billings (14–23)10. Riders of the Glacier Range (13-25)11. Sky Sox of Colorado Springs (7-30)12. Voyagers of the Great Falls (7-31)
