Raptors Nearly No-Hit Billings

Edwin Uceta tosses six perfect innings; offense comes alive for four runs in 10th

Edwin Uceta's six perfect innings paved the way for a Raptors victory (Kevin Johnson)

By Andrew Haynes

August 6, 2017

A pitchers' duel broke out Saturday night between two of the top teams in the Pioneer League, and the Ogden Raptors came out on top, 4-0, in 10 innings.
The Raptors came within inches of the franchise's first no-hitter. They had to settle for a one-hitter after a triple with two out in the ninth dropped inches from Romer Cuadrado's glove.
Edwin Uceta was the story of the night, pitching six perfect innings with four strikeouts in his third-straight strong start. The righty kept Billings off balance all night with well-placed fastball and off-speed pitches. He went to full counts on only two hitters and helped himself by fielding a bunt off the third base side of the mound in the fourth inning.
Ogden, however, couldn't put anything across against Billings pitching until extra innings. In the 10^th, Ramon Rodriguez led off with his second hit of the game, a seeing-eye single through the right side. Kevin Lachance and Brayan Morales followed with bunt singles to bring up Mitchell Hansen. Hansen was 0-for-4 on the night and fell behind, 0-2, before lining a pitch into left field to score Rylan Bannon, who had run for Rodriguez, and open the floodgates. After an out, Luis Paz reached on an infield single to bring in Lachance, and Tyler Adkison stroked a single to left to plate Morales and Hansen.
The game almost didn't make it to extra innings, as the Mustangs' nearly won the game in the ninth. Matt Jones had entered the game at the start of the inning and set down the first two hitters, but Satchel McElroy's triple put the potential game-ending run at third base. Miles Gordon smashed a ball to the backhand of Lachance, and the second baseman made the play on a short hop to keep the game tied.
Jones was removed from the game in the bottom of the 10^th after a walk and missing on the next two pitches, but Miguel Ureña induced a double play to nail down his fifth save.
The Raptors secured at least a split of the four-game series, and they will look to take three out of four in the Sunday matinee starting at 1:05.