Riders shake off no-no with Friday win

OGDEN, Utah — Noah Owen held the Ogden Raptors scoreless over the final three frames and the Range Riders held on for a 9-8 Pioneer League victory at Lindquist Field Friday night.

During the game, Range Riders social media announced that the team will officially host their first playoff game in the Valley on Tuesday, Sept. 10, with opponent and time announced later. 

The Range Riders clinched a playoff spot after finishing the first half of the season as one of the top two teams in league standings. 

After being no-hit in Thursday’s game, the Range Riders wasted no time Friday as the first four hitters reached base and Ryan McCarthy scored on Christian Kirtley’s walk. Kingston Liniak tacked on another run with a sacrifice fly to give his team a 2-0 lead. 

In the second inning, Chad Castillo hit a two-run double and Freddy Guilamo’s RBI double in the third gave the Range Riders a 5-0 lead. 

The Raptors answered, scoring six runs in the fourth inning to take a 6-5 lead, forcing starter Kaleb Sophy out of the game. 

Andy Atwood brought home Liniak in the fifth to tie the game and later scored on a wild pitch. 

Drew Brutcher homered off Ricky Tibbett to tie the game in the fifth, before the Range Riders answered back with two more runs in the sixth inning.  

True Fontenot trimmed the deficit to 9-8 with an RBI groundout in the sixth. 

Owen held the Raptors hitless over the final three innings, striking out four to end the wild back-and-forth contest. 

The Range Riders (18-28 in the second half, 47-47 overall) will play the Raptors (18-28 in the second half, 40-58 overall) two more times in Ogden before hosting their playoff game Tuesday at Glacier Bank Park. 

Thursday 

Raptors 8, Range Riders 0 

The Ogden Raptors used four combined pitchers to no-hit the Range Riders. 

Mitchell Stone started the game for the Raptors, pitching five innings with seven strikeouts. He might have lasted longer in the game, but his five walks drove his pitch count up. 

The Raptors bullpen combination of Shawn Triplett, Cameron Edmonson and Dylan Matsuoka pitched four scoreless frames to continue the no-hit bid. 

Jared Engman started for the Range Riders and lasted 4 2-3 innings, allowing four hits and two earned runs.  

The game was within reach until the eighth inning, when the Raptors scored five runs, highlighted by Chris Sargent’s three-run home run.