Walk-Off Win Hands Ogden Homer-Heavy Series Finale

OGDEN, Utah -- Buraconak and bombs brought the Owlz within a few outs of another Knockout Round, but Ogden delivered the knockout blow with a walk-off blast.

The loss gives NoCo (11-18) its 10^th series loss of the season. It still hasn't won a series on the road.

After the Owlz used home runs to tie the contest twice, Jesus Valdez drilled the deciding ninth-inning no-doubter. He was the first batter William Kirwan (L, 1-1) faced in the final inning.

Homers held serious weight in Sunday's scuffle. So much so that seven of the game's nine runs came from the game's four big flies.

For NoCo's starter, one of those dingers became an early ding on his day. But still, Buraconak brought bruising stuff for most of the afternoon.

For a while, the super-sized southpaw even dabbled in some déjà vu. Tuesday, Buraconak brought probably best performance by any Owlz arm this season. Eight innings of two run ball where only one of the runs was earned. Eight strikeouts, his personal season high.  

We saw shades of that same success on Sunday. Through six innings, the lefty allowed two hits. One of them was that first-inning home run that had the Owlz in a 2-0 hole.

The birds backed him up with exactly two hits during that same timeframe. Runs entered the equation when baseballs entered the atmosphere, starting in the seventh.

Ty Lewis tied it by tattooing a two-run round-tripper. But then the Raptors (16-14) rattled off two more runs in response, earning another lead off Buraconak. The starter's outing ended in that seventh inning.

NoCo knotted things up again when Abdel Guadalupe launched a long ball in the eighth. That cannon shot capped a spectacular series for the slugger. In these six games, Guadalupe logged 11 hits in 27 at-bats, three of which were homers. He drove in 10 RBI and scored eight runs himself.
The club couldn't follow the free swinger from Fajardo with any more fireworks. After Guadalupe's homer, game tied again, the
Owlz struck out six times.

It allowed Valdez the chance to strike. And he struck in style.

The last time the Owlz opposed Ogden, the Raptors ran the table and ran up a run differential of +55. This time, it would've been tough for the contests to be closer. Ignoring a blowout dub for each team, we're looking at three one-run games and a Knockout Round finish. The Owlz lost all the one-run affairs, adding another series loss to the column.

Buraconak battled well twice this series. He slung seven strikeouts in his 6.2 Sunday innings, also allowing four earned runs off five hits. He also issued three walks.

Kyle Adkins appeared for the 31^st time this season when he relieved Buraconak. Adkins got through his inning unscathed, striking out one and walking one as well.

Christian Griffin got one batter's worth of work, inducing a groundout to end the eighth.

On Ogden's side, the staff tallied 12 strikeouts. The eight hits it allowed seemed sufficient for the Owlz to steal a series split.

Tim Bouchard belted two hits in Sunday's series finale, the only Owl to do so. By bashing two-run taters, Lewis and
Guadalupe logged all four of the team's RBI between them.

NoCo made enough noise with the bats, but it was a quiet night on the basepaths. Sure, Bouchard swiped two bags for the first time this season. But the Owlz got caught stealing three times.

Don't be caught off guard: Ogden owns the league's best caught stealing rate, at 29.1 percent entering Sunday's game. Make it 33 runners they've nabbed this season, which is the second-highest clip in the Pioneer League. The leader? Your Owlz, who've caught 40 potential base-stealers so far.

NoCo hopes to catch better breaks when it begins a three-game set in Grand Junction on Monday. First pitch from Suplizio Field is set for 6:35 p.m. against the red-hot Rockies.