Goldfarb's Knock Out Homer Clinches First-half Title for Ogden Raptors

OGDEN — A back-and-forth battle Sunday in a monumental series for both teams came down to the Pioneer League's unique tiebreaker at Lindquist Field, the Knock Out Round home run derby.

With his first swing of the second round, Ogden Raptors outfielder Jakob Goldfarb, the league's home run leader, put his powerful bat through the zone, connected with his barrel, and took a few struts up the first-base line as his big fly cleared the right field fence.

His teammates stormed the field, celebrating not only a win over the Missoula Paddleheads after the game reached the end of regulation tied 4-4, but the end of a three-game losing streak and, more paramount, their clinching of the Pioneer League's South Division first-half championship — ensuring the Raptors will be playing playoff baseball in September.

The Raptors (28-16) clinched the title with four games left in the half. While they entered this series with a 5 1/2-game lead over Grand Junction and nine games left, Ogden had six games against a Missoula (31-13) team with the best record in the league who was also trying to fight off Idaho Falls for the North Division first-half title.

Ogden's breakthrough Sunday pulled Idaho Falls and Missoula into a tie in the North, with IF holding the tiebreaker.

Sunday's game never saw any lead larger than one run. McLain O'Connor hit a solo homer to open the scoring for Missoula in the third, and Ogden outfielder Josh Broughton answered with his own solo homer in the bottom half.

O'Connor put his team up 2-1 in the fifth with an RBI single. The Raptors quickly took the lead on the bottom of the fifth when Goldfarb led off with a double, and Broughton and Pavin Parks followed with consecutive triples.

But, Parks was thrown out at home on Nick Michaels grounder to the shortstop and Ogden's lead stopped at 3-2.

The Paddleheads knotted it 3-3 when Nick Gatewood hit a solo homer in the top of the seventh. Parks led off the bottom half with a double and, after going to third on a single from David Maberry, was again thrown out at the plate on a Michaels grounder to shortstop. But with two outs, Brock Ephan came through with an RBI single to put Ogden up 4-3.

Brandon Riley scored Luke Navigato on a fielder's choice groundout in the eighth, but Ogden pitcher Colt Mink got Gatewood swinging with runners on the corners to end the threat.

Tied 4-4 after regulation, Zach Almond hit first in the derby for the visitors, and neither he or Ogden's Parks hit any of their allotted five swings in 10 pitches over the fence.

Jared Akins couldn't hit any out to start the second round for Missoula, and that's when Goldfarb stepped up with his game-winning swing.

Ogden out-hit Missoula 15-7 in the win. Broughton and Ephan each had three hits for the Raptors, as both join league-leading Maberry with batting averages better than .400.

The two teams finish their series at 7 p.m. Monday. After Tuesday off, Ogden travels to Idaho Falls for a three-game series Wednesday through Friday to end the first half.

The Raptors then return home against Idaho Falls, opening the second half with a three-game series Saturday through Monday at Lindquist Field.