Chukars fall in a showdown with Northern Colorado
The Chukars scored first, however, they were unable to take down the Owlz, falling 13-6 in Northern Colorado on Friday night.
Chukars fall in a showdown with Northern Colorado
Will Vasseur
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho– The Chukars scored first, however, they were unable to take down the Owlz, falling 13-6 in Northern Colorado on Friday night.
Following a defeat on Thursday night, Idaho Falls entered Friday's game, looking to string some wins together and bring themselves closer to the top of the PLB second-half standings. To do this, the Chukars gave the start to Joe Slocum, who was making his second start since returning to the starting rotation.
Countering Slocum, the Owlz turned to Tyler Johnson, who carried an 11.74 ERA into his start.
Idaho Falls got the scoring started early, thanks to a Trevor Halsema sac fly, scoring Bryce Brown. Later in the inning, Tyler Wyatt knocked an RBI single to score Hunter Hudson and give the Chukars a 2-0 lead.
In the bottom of the first inning, the Owlz stuck back, scoring seven runs in the inning. The inning was capped off by a Jordan Rathbone three-run home run, giving them a 7-2 lead.
Northern Colorado extended their lead in the bottom of the second, scoring three runs on three hits, including a Kevin Jimenez RBI double to give them a 10-2 lead.
The Chukars cut the deficit in the top of the fourth inning when Brandon Bohning launched a two-run home run for his first home run of the season, cutting the Owlz advantage to 10-4.
The Owlz regained their eight-run lead in the bottom of the fourth, thanks to a pair of runs on two hits.
Idaho Falls struck back in the top of the fifth, thanks to a Stephen Cullen RBI double, scoring Jordan Myrow and making the score 12-5.
In the bottom of the seventh, Tim Bouchard hit a home run to center field, putting the Owlz ahead 13-5.
The Chukars would get a run back in the top of the ninth, however, that is as close as they would come.
In the end, Idaho Falls fell 13-6.
For Idaho Falls, Slocum was handed the loss, going 1.2 innings and allowing ten runs (eight earned) on eight hits.
Johnson collected the win for Northern Colorado, throwing 5.0 innings, while allowing five runs (three earned) on six hits.
The Chukars will return to action on Saturday night when they faceoff with the Owlz. The first pitch of that game will be thrown at 7:05 p.m.