Chukars fall two games back with 2-0 loss

The Chukars fell two games out of the division lead Tuesday with a 2-0 loss at Melaleuca Field to the Orem Owlz.

The Chukars could only muster four hits of Orem’s pitching trio of Garrett Richards, Patrick Corbin and Jonathan Garret to suffer its second shutout of the season.

Corbin picked up the win and was particularly impressive, throwing five scoreless innings while allowing just two hits and striking out five. He and Garret’s seven scoreless innings out of the pen extended the Orem’s bullpen scoreless streak to 22 consecutive innings for.

Tuesday night problems were the opposite of Idaho Falls’ woes on the road, where it went averaged 6.4 runs a game. The trouble was a pitching staff that allowed eight runs a game and the club went 2-3.

But on Tuesday, despite giving up 10 hits and having the defense surrender three errors, pitchers Justin Garcia, Carlos Arias, Aneidy Toribio and Mitch Hodge combined to strand 11 runners and hold Orem to two runs.

“They pitched a good ball game,” Chukars manager Darryl Kennedy said. “They didn’t deserve to lose. But still, we’re making too many stupid mistakes, everywhere, the whole game, too many stupid mistakes.”

But fixing one problem to trade it for another isn’t helpful when Ogden, the current division leader, is pulling off eight-run eighth innings for a comeback win in Casper to extend its division lead.

The Chukars held a team meeting for 20 minutes in center field after the game.

Orem’s only runs came via its No. 9 hitter, Travis Witherspoon. Witherspoon, who went to high school and college with Chukars outfielder Allen Caldwell, tripled into the left-field corner to lead off the fifth inning of Arias.

The next batter, Jean Segura, grounded out to Angel Franco at second, allowing Witherspoon to score and make it 1-0.

Segura doubled in the third inning and singled in the ninth to extend his hitting streak to 21 games, 11 off the league record of 32.

Witherspoon struck again in the sixth inning. After third baseman J.D. Alfaro threw out a runner at home plate, Witherspoon followed with his second triple in as many innings. This time it went into the right-field corner, bringing home catcher Braulio Pardo.

The Chukars squandered their best run-scoring opportunity in the top of the eighth, when Angel Franco doubled with one out. But Alfaro and Deivy Batista both promptly struck out on a diet of low-and-away sliders from Garret.

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