GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — Chad Zurat of Clearfield pitched three innings in long relief for the Grand Junction Rockies Saturday night in a 9-4 loss to the Ogden Raptors that knocked them out of the Class A Short-Season Pioneer League’s South Division first half race.
A crowd of 2,206 at Sam Suplizio Field saw the Raptors build a 6-2 cushion in three innings en route to ending the Rockies’ four-game winning streak.
Zurat entered in the fourth and posted two scoreless innings before giving up two runs in the sixth.
He struck out two and allowed six hits in his fifth relief outing.
Both runs were earned, elevating his earned run average from 3.29 to 3.56, which still is second-best among Pioneer League hurlers with more than seven innings pitched and ranks sixth overall.
One of eight pitchers with two wins, Zurat (2-3) is second in innings pitched (30.1) and tied for third in appearances (10).
He has surrendered 40 hits and 19 runs, 12 earned, with 10 strikeouts, 10 walks and three hit batsmen.
His 1.65 WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched) is 10th in the league.
Grand Junction is 20-16 and three games behind the Orem (23-13). The Owls clinched the post-season berth with a 6-5 victory over the Idaho Falls Chukars.
Ogden’s win was a milestone 1,300th for manager John Shoemaker, who has been the skipper of Los Angeles Dodgers minor league teams for 2,580 games.