PROVO — Just when it appeared Ogden was going to avoid a series sweep at the hands of Provo, the Angels got out their brooms.
Or, rather, their bats.
Provo exploded for three runs in the third inning, four in the fifth and five more in the seventh to overcome an early 5-0 deficit and post a 12-6 rout of the Raptors Wednesday night at Larry H. Miller Field before a crowd of 1,382.
With the victory, the Angels completed a three-game home sweep of their rivals to the north and maintained their stranglehold on first place in the Pioneer League Southern Division.
Provo improved to 6-1 in the second half while Ogden fell to 3-4.
After dropping both games of a doubleheader Tuesday, the Raptors came out strong Wednesday as Cory Dunlap and Daniel Batz recorded back-to-back doubles to set up a four-run second inning. They added another run in the third to grab a 5-0 advantage.
From there, it was almost all Provo as the Angels outscored the Raptors 12-1 the rest of the way. The Angels did most of the damage with singles — 10 in all — along with just two extra base hits.
Provo plated seven unanswered runs to take its first lead at 7-5. First baseman Chris Walston gave Provo that lead on a two-run single in the fifth.
Ogden made the score 7-6 on a two-out RBI double by Dunlap in the seventh.
The Raptors' comeback hopes were short-lived, however.
In the decisive bottom of the seventh, Provo scored five runs on back-to-back-to-back-to-back RBI singles by Cliff Remole, Walston, Josh LeBlanc and Richard Gianotti.
Provo's Sean Rodriguez, who entered the game batting .413, collected only one hit, but it was a big one. He blasted a two-run home run in the third inning that put the Angels on the scoreboard and kick-started their rally. Nate Sutton collected a team-high three hits for Provo. He scored twice and knocked in a pair of runs.
Ogden outhit Provo, 13-12, but the Raptors failed to take advantage of their scoring opportunities. Dunlap led the way for Ogden, going 3-for-4 from the plate.
Karl Gelinas (3-1), who replaced Provo starter Billy Layman, earned the win after throwing 2 1/3 scoreless innings. Albenis Castillo (2-2) was tagged with the loss.
Provo travels to Idaho Falls to open a four-game series against the Chukars tonight while Ogden visits Casper tonight to start a four-game set.
The Angels and Raptors resume their rivalry with three games beginning next Monday in Ogden.
E-mail: jeffc@desnews.com