Raptors Stay Hot and Erase 5-0 Early Deficit

The Ogden Raptors were looking to carry the momentum from Opening Night’s win through the rest of the series and despite a lackluster start, the Raptors rallied to stay undefeated, moving to 2-0 on the young season. This game was the tale of two stories, as a slow start cost the team early, however, they quickly re-grouped by taking advantage of the mistakes thrown by opposing pitchers and carving out disciplined ABs leading them to a resurgence in the middle innings. 

After 2 and ½ innings, the Raptors found themselves down early in a 5-to-nothing hole. While the deficit was felt early, the lineup put the team back in the game courtesy of their approach at the plate. Raptors sluggers made Jackalopes starter Roberto Baldenebro work for every out he recorded, as the lineup approached the plate with their next-man-up mentality. This approach led to lots of base traffic, which is a huge part of the reason they were able to strike for a 6-run 3rd inning to take what felt like an insurmountable lead away from the Jackalopes. Beyond this, the Raptor's bullpen was nothing short of dominant, as they came in and shut the door, not allowing a single run through the final 6 innings. The bullpen was monumental in keeping their team within striking distance, as Riley Ottesen, Brandon McCabe, and Dan Kubiuk all came in and showed off their arsenals; All tossed scoreless frames and allowed their team a chance to pad their one-run lead. 

While the Raptors had a sloppy start on Wednesday night's ballgame, their pass-the-baton demeanor in the batter's box combined with the length provided by the bullpen allowed them the claw their way back into the game within just 1 half-inning in the 3rd. Their 6-run frame that in turn, erased a 5-run deficit highlights the explosiveness of this Raptor's offense, and the bullpen helped to feed off of this momentum, putting them in a firm position to win the ballgame. When the Raptor’s pitchers and hitters work in tandem, no lead is safe from their potent lineup and golden arms, and if they can keep up this level of productivity, they might just go 96-0. The Raptors look to keep carrying their momentum and stay hot moving into game 3 of the series tonight at 6:30 PM.