It is a good thing that Region 11 doesn’t take points away for winning ugly baseball games because that is exactly what Grantsville did against Ogden Friday afternoon. With region play seeing light at the end of the tunnel the Cowboys will take a win any way they can get it.

Regardless of the Cowboys playing to their opponents’ level and playing in less than ideal field conditions after a snowstorm, they still managed to pull off the 9-3 victory over the Tigers in Ogden and remain undefeated in region play.

“I think the long break between games can cause problems,” said Grantsville head coach Loren Anderson. “The field conditions weren’t the best, there was standing water in the outfield but regardless of the conditions we need to play at the same level no matter who we play.”

The top of the order came through for Grantsville as Ryley Boman and Tyson Hutchins each earned a pair of hits and each knocked in two RBIs against Ogden. Benji Cole earned the win on the mound for the Cowboys but coach Anderson used this game to get work in for both T.J. Sieh and Alex Childs.

“We wanted to give all the pitchers some work against Ogden after the long break,” Anderson said.

Grantsville jumped out quickly against the Tigers in the first, by loading the bases. Hutchins started with a one-out single while Childs reached on an error and Fonger walked to load the bases up for Taylor Matthews. Matthews hit a grounder down the third base line that was slowed enough by the wet grass to bring in Hutchins from third.

Even after Matthews’ hit, Grantsville had the bases loaded with one out but were not able to capitalize as Ogden hurler Parker Deyoung retired the next two Cowboy hitters to get out of the jam.

Ogden countered right back in the bottom of the first. Leadoff man Garrett Casperson recorded a single and Jared Greiner walked to give the Tigers their first two base runners. Casperson came around to score on a wild pitch to tie the game but Ogden wasn’t done in the first.

With Greiner on third, Deyoung grounded out to third but the ground out was enough to score Greiner to give Ogden a slim 2-1 lead after one.

Grantsville didn’t take long to recover. In the third, the Cowboys took advantage of two Ogden errors in a row to get their first two batters on base. With runners on, Jake Campbell took advantage by ripping a grounder down the third base line, scoring Childs from third to tie the game 2-2. Payeton Reed followed with a fielder’s choice to the right side of the infield that was enough to score Fonger from third and the 3-2 lead.

Having seized momentum in the third inning, Grantsville continued to pour it on in the fourth. In fact, the Cowboys batted all the way through the lineup with Andrew Nelson recording the only true base hit in the inning.

Hutchins started off the scoring with a bases loaded walk, scoring Nelson. Later Lincoln Kelley was able to score on a wild pitch for the 5-2 lead. Ogden was still in the giving mood as they gift-wrapped Grantsville’s sixth run by bobbling a hard-hit grounder by Campbell for the 6-2 lead.

Ogden managed to cut into the Grantsville lead in the bottom of the fifth with a blooping single by Shawn Greiner to left that was good enough to score Zach Patterson from third to bring the game within three.

The Cowboys put the game away for good in the top of the seventh. With Reed and Campbell on base, Fonger blasted a two-run double to right center. Then Hutchins followed with an RBI single to right to notch the score at 9-3. Childs came on in the seventh and struck out the side to seal the victory for Grantsville.

The Cowboys will again travel to Ogden to face Ben Lomond on Thursday at 3:30 p.m.

“This is an important week coming up for us,” Anderson said.

Jake Gordon: jgordon@tooeletranscript.com