Ogden Arms Stifle Vibes, Send Raptors to Championship Series

After two lopsided affairs on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Vibes and Raptors engaged in a pitchers' duel in their series finale. Peyton Long and Brock Gilliam matched zeroes through five innings, and Rocky Mountain managed just one hit through six frames. In the bottom of the sixth, the Raptors loaded the bases against Long, ending his night. Nick Ultsch got hit by a pitch by Tomas Reyes to bring home the first run of the game, and Dakota Conners brought home another run on a sacrifice fly. 

The Vibes trimmed their deficit in the seventh, loading the bases against Gilliam before Matt Hogan singled home a run. However, Foster Pace entered the game and induced a popout from Ethan Lopez to end the threat. The Raptors tacked on an insurance run on Juan Teixeira's RBI single in the bottom of the inning. The Vibes got the tying run to the plate in the eighth, but Pace struck out Jacob Barfield to end the frame. In the ninth inning, Dan Kubiuk struck out two and induced a groundout from Austin Elder to end the game. The Raptors are headed to the Championship Series for the first time since 2019, and they will take on the Mustangs beginning Saturday at Lindquist Field at 6:30 PM.