Three-Homer Night Leads to Third-Straight Owlz Win

OGDEN, Utah -- NoCo sprinkled its scoring across six innings of Saturday's see-sawing shootout, and that consistency cued up a third-straight victory that vaults the team above .500 for the first time.

Maybe even more impressive than the volume was the voltage. NoCo (8-7) put a charge into three homers, their first time mashing more than one in a game. In fact, it entered Saturday with only six on the season, meaning this one proved to be its most powerful performance yet.

But it certainly didn't seem that way to start. Ogden (9-6) opener Dylan Pearce, normally his club's closer, was pretty potent. The righty opened Saturday's game by fanning four through his 3.0 innings. He induced soft contact to the tune of two infield hits, and that's out of the five hits he allowed in all.

Even though Pearce prevented barrel contact, NoCo didn't need much to work with. It turned all those seemingly harmless hits into three early runs.

Brian Dansereau singled to start the second inning. Euro Diaz walked right after him. They both scored on an RBI single – Dansereau on Kevin Higgins' infield rocket shot and Diaz on Alex Jackson's ribbie to right center.

Cameron Phelts led off the next inning by flicking a four-footer that forced a throwing error. He crossed home plate when Brandon Crosby uncorked another RBI base knock, and by the end of the third, the Owlz led 3-1.

But with a five-run fourth frame, off Owlz starter Tanner Schoeninger, Ogden opened things up. Or so it appeared, anyway. The home team held a 6-3 lead until Robbie Kellerman's cannon shot found the outfield bleachers. The catcher's first bomb brought home Crosby and Dansereau too, tying the game at six runs apiece.

The Raptors responded again, this time making use of a Pat Adams leadoff single. Adams' third hit of the evening eventually became the key to a go-ahead run, but his team wasn't ahead for long. A half inning later, Crosby hooked a bloop single down the right field line to score two more, making the Owlz lead 8-7.

To build on it, Jackson jumped on a Jake Mulholland pitch and jolted it for his second homer of the year. That touch-em-all tacked on the team's ninth run, and Higgins' homer an inning later became the cherry on top.

And you know what's really been a treat? Watching the Owlz bullpen work these past couple weeks.

Saturday was an excellent example. Schoeninger was streaky in his second start. An inning after he sat down seven-straight, the Raptors racked up five runs and ended his day after 3.1 innings.

Austin Schneider (W, 2-2) spelled Schoeninger by serving up stupendous stuff through his 3.2 innings. Schneider surrendered just two hits and one earned run while striking out three.

He gave way to Christian Griffin next, and Griffin made it 0.2 innings before the situation got slightly sticky. That's when, with two outs, Chase Wilkerson went in to close the door with the tying runner on third base in the eighth inning.

Wilkerson and Chance Benton (S, 2) handled a similar scenario in the bottom of the ninth, securing their squad's eighth win in the past 10 games in the process.

Saturday served as the second consecutive night NoCo came out with a complete performance. The Owlz registered six hits with two outs and five hits with runners in scoring position. Their relievers proved reliable once again. And now, the team's record reflects the upturn this season has taken over the last couple weeks of work.

They'll look to keep up that consistency in Sunday's series finale, which is set to start at 2 p.m.