OREM — Had the Orem Owlz let Friday's playoff-clinching win over the Idaho Falls Chukars slip away, it would have been a loss that would have stuck in their craw for a long time.
The Owlz, on a 10th-inning opposite-field RBI double by Abel Nieves, edged the Chukars 3-2. The win gave the Owlz the Pioneer League Southern Division's first-half title and a spot in the postseason for the sixth consecutive year.
"I was thinking (reliever Daniel Best) was going to throw me outside because they had been working outside all night," Nieves said of his game-winning hit to right-center. "I was ready for the pitch and I hit it the other way."
But the game, and playoff berth, shouldn't have come down to Nieves' clutch hit.
Through the first nine innings the Owlz had 15 men reach base but only two cross home plate. Meanwhile, the Chukars managed to get only five men on base through 10 innings, also scoring twice.
Orem stranded 13 runners to three for Idaho Falls. The Owlz left the bases loaded twice and had a runner reach base every inning but the sixth. Orem also ended five innings with a strikeout with runners on bases.
"That's youth," manager Tom Kotchman said. "They were throwing a lot of breaking balls in the dirt, and as long as we're going to chase it why not throw it there."
Even though the Owlz pounded on the door all game long, it still took some good fortune in the eighth to even have the chance at winning the game. With Idaho Falls up 2-1, Chris Pettit reached base to lead off the inning on a throwing error. He ended up at third following back-to-back walks and eventually scored the tying run on a wild pitch. However, the Owlz left the bases loaded the same inning when Scott Knazek struck out looking.
P.J. Phillips led off the 10th with a walk and advanced to second on a balk. Then, on a no-out grounder to first by Ryan Mount, Phillips failed to advance to third. But Nieves bailed him out with the one-out liner to the corner.
"That was a little bit ugly," Kotchman said. "But a guy like Nieves whose been working on hitting the ball that way got on top of a pitch and it was nice to see him win it."
While Orem's hitting with runners on base was not praiseworthy, the Owlz pitching was outstanding — and really the reason they won the game. Starter Sean O'Sullivan allowed only four hits in seven innings, walked none and struck out three. He went an inning longer than he's pitched before and his pitch count exceeded his previous high by 16 pitches.
"O'Sullivan just pitched on guts tonight," Kotchman said.
Idaho Falls scored a run in the fourth on a double to the center-field fence by Joe Dickerson. The Chukars went up 2-1 when Marc Maddox hit a one-out homer in the seventh. But Orem closer Felipe Arrendondo never let them threaten again. In three innings of relief Arrendondo fanned eight, including five straight at one point, and only surrendered one hit.
"He's very effective against right-handers and down the road he's got to work on a change-up against left-handers, but tonight he had it going," Kotchman said.
The two teams begin the season's second half tonight when they meet again at Utah Valley Stadium. If the Chukars don't win the division's second half, they could still reach the playoffs if they finish with the best overall record.
"There's a good chance we'll see that team in the playoffs," Kotchman said.
E-mail: jimr@desnews.com