The Osprey seemed to solve the Ogden Raptors' pitching late in the game on Saturday, but it was too late.
Missoula even mustered some offense in the latter innings, but ultimately it was just a bit too little.
With four more road games at Orem before they return home and first-half champ Billings holding tight to its lead in the Northern Division, the Osprey (12-38) are 12 games back of Great Falls and all but out of postseason contention.
For the first five innings on Saturday they played like it, too.
Missoula spotted Ogden a 6-0 lead during the opening frames, punctuated by a fourth inning that saw Dee Gordon slap a two-run triple and then trot home on a bomb over the left field fence by Tony Delmonico.
Gordon had three hits to lead the Raptors, mixing in a double and scoring two runs. Delmonico finished 2-for-4.
The Osprey, meanwhile, had trouble getting anything started against Ogden starter Jonathan Dutton. The 6-foot-1, 155-pounder from San Diego didn't allow a baserunner until the fourth inning, when Alberto Diaz reached on an awkward infield chopper.
Dutton pitched five innings, surrendering one run on four hits, while striking out three and walking two.
Missoula was not sad to see him go. In the sixth, reliever Javier Solano walked in a run and allowed another on a hit by Reynaldo Navarro, to cut the Ogden lead to 6-3.
When Steve Smith spelled Solano in the seventh, the Osprey did more damage - getting Diaz on with a knock to right to set up Nelson Gomez's second home run in as many days.
Gomez went deep to left, clearing the protective netting that shields passing traffic on 24th Ave., pulling Missoula to within one run.
It was as close as the Osprey would get.
Diaz ended 3-for-5 with a double while Tyrell Worthington went 2-for-4 as the only other Missoula player with multiple hits.
On the bright side, Saturday featured another good outing for Jesse Orosco Jr., who pitched four scoreless innings in relief of starter Rafael Quezada.
Quezada struggled with his control early, allowing two first-inning runs. He settled down for the second and third, but then lost the handle again in the fourth.
The Osprey left eight on the bags in the game, including a fourth inning where they loaded the bases against Dutton but couldn't get a run across.
All five of Missoula's tallies came with two outs.
After their stint at Orem, the Osprey return home next Thursday for seven more games, also with the Raptors and the Owlz.
MISSOULA OGDEN
ab r h bi ab r h bi
Diaz cf 5 1 3 1 Gordon ss 5 2 3 2
Elmore 2b 4 0 1 0 Delmnco 2b 4 1 2 2
White 1b 5 1 1 0 Buss cf 5 1 2 1
Gomez 3b 5 2 1 2 Russell rf 4 0 1 0
Greene dh 3 0 0 0 Calfee dh 3 0 0 0
Ascncio rf 4 0 0 0 Baez 3b 2 0 0 0
Davis c 3 0 1 0 Orr 1b 3 0 0 1
Wrthngtn cf 3 1 2 1 Collado c 4 1 1 0
Navarro ss 4 0 1 1 Herrera lf 2 1 1 0
Totals 36 5 10 5 Totals 34 86 10 6
Missoula 000 012 200 - 5
Ogden 200 400 00x - 6
LOB- Missoula 8, Ogden 9. 2B-Diaz; Russell, Gordon. 3B-Gordon. HR-Gomez; Delmonico. SB-Elmore, Diaz; Herrera. E-Delmonico.
IP H R ER BB SO
Missoula
Quezada 4.0 7 6 6 3 3
Orosco 4.0 3 0 0 3 3
Ogden
Dutton 5.0 4 1 1 2 3
Solano 1.0 2 2 1 2 2
Garcia 2.0 4 2 2 0 1
Smith 1.0 0 0 0 0 1
PB-Davis. HBP-Quezada.
Umpires-Yute Niide, home; Rick Wilson, first. T-2:35. A-3.992.
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