NoCo's Inaugural Knockout Round Results in First Road Win

OGDEN, Utah -- After a late Raptors' resurgence on Thursday night, NoCo needed the knockout round to nab its first road win of the season.

Ogden (9-4) faced a four-run deficit in the eighth inning, but three hits off Noah Parsons scored three runs in that frame. Then came a tie game as Ogden plated one last run off Gaylan Young in the ninth.

But even though the crafty closer blew the save, he still got a chance to be the savior.

Young stung a single homer in his club's inaugural crack at the knockout round, but because his counterpart went cold, it ended up being the only big fly Young needed.

So, in the end, the team with the more deserving case won the game. NoCo (6-7) compiled a season-high 17 hits in the victory, but it was less about that total tally than it was about timing. The Owlz notched five two-out hits and went 8-for-20 with runners in scoring position.

But a much simpler stat played perhaps the biggest part: four first-inning runs.  

Cameron Phelts is fast, and he proved it by beating out a dribbler for the game's first hit and his third infield single this series. He proved it again by stealing second, and an errant throw on his attempt to steal third gave way for run number one. After that, Brandon Crosby walked, Brian Dansereau singled, and Robbie Kellerman scored them both by booming a double to deep right center.

The 4-0 lead didn't last long, though. Preston Snavely, in his first start since snagging a Pioneer League Pitcher of the Week honor, surrendered two quick baserunners. Freddy Achecar's impending double drove in two runs as a result, cutting his team's deficit in half.

Some second-inning small ball supplied NoCo with another run. Alex Jackson's base knock now gives him a 10-game hit streak. Phelts dropped a sac bunt to move him, and he scored when Dansereau doubled and made it a 5-2 game.

After Andrew Noviello's no-doubt homer shrunk the lead, the Owlz again struck with small ball in the fifth. Dansereau drilled his third hit of the game, Ty Lewis sacrificed himself to advance Dansereau, and Kellerman banked a third RBI when his single scored Dansereau. Kellerman himself scored two at-bats later on Zach West's run-scoring bloop single.

Ogden responded when Reese Alexiades launched a long ball of his own. The solo shot brought the last of five earned runs that Snavely allowed, completing his six-hit, three-walk, one-strikeout outing. By making it through five innings, the fireballer from Fort Collins has now lasted at least that long in all three of his starts this season.

Jackson sliced a single in the sixth that scored two runs, giving Christian Griffin good cushion when he entered the game that same stanza. Griffin fanned four batters compared to two hits and one walk over the next two innings. He exited ahead of all the excitement in the eighth.

Speaking of excitement, Dansereau's been bringing it to the batter's box a bunch recently. On Thursday, he tied an Owlz season-high with four hits in the game. He ended up 4-for-5 with one RBI and two runs scored.

Kevin Higgins kept his hot streak alive as well. He didn't have any RBI to build on his eight from the previous three games, but he did go 3-for-5 with a run scored on Thursday, making it seven-straight games with a hit for Higgins.

Jordan Garr joined Jackson, Kellerman, West, and Phelts in the contest's two-hit club. Such a performance gave Garr his first multi-hit game of the year.

The Owlz hope to follow up this impressive performance with a similar one in the series' fourth game on Friday night. First pitch from loud and lively Lindquist Field is scheduled for 7 p.m.