Many people enjoy their stay in Utah Valley, whether taking advantage of the local hospitality or the scenic beauty.

Don't count on Idaho Falls catcher Juan Graterol to be one of those folks.

He's probably going to be trying to forget Orem as quickly as possibly, particularly the last two innings of Tuesday night's 6-2 loss to the host Owlz at Brent Brown Ballpark.

Things went downhill for the Chukar man behind the plate in the bottom of the eighth with the score tied at two after Orem second baseman Ivan Contreras poked a single through the right side of the infield to start things off.

A couple of pitches later, Contreras took off for second and Graterol fired across the diamond. But the throw skipped off the turf and into center field, allowing Contreras to reach third.

But the nightmare wasn't over for the Idaho Falls catcher. A walk and a hit-and-run single scored Contreras to give the Owlz the lead and a passed ball doubled the advantage for the home team.

The Owlz put up four runs in the frame, meaning the visiting Chukars had their work cut out for them in the top of the ninth.

"We played a pretty good game," said Orem manager Tom Kotchman. "They threw some good arms at us, but we were able to make adjustments later in the game. It was good that we were able to put up some extra runs in the eighth. Four runs is a lot better than two."

But Idaho Falls looked ready to start a rally after a lead-off walk. Graterol stepped in a lined a hard drive between first and second that looked like a sure single -- until it glanced off the Chukar baserunner for an out.

"We got a break in the ninth when the ball hit the runner," Kotchman said. "After that, we were able to shut them down."

It was that kind of night for Graterol, as the next batter hit into a double play to end the game.

The Owlz struck first in the bottom of the third when shortstop Darwin Perez smashed a triple to deep centerfield, then came home on a sacrifice fly to shallow center by second baseman Ivan Contreras.

Idaho Falls could've ended things right there by chalking up one more out but after a walk and a double put runners on second and third, Orem right fielder Angel Castillo hit a sharp grounder to third that Chukar third baseman Antonio Jimenez couldn't hold on to. Lopez was able to come home and double the advantage to 2-0.

The lead stayed intact until the sixth inning when Idaho Falls first baseman Devery Van De Keere took advantage of some slow fielding by the Owlz to turn a single into a double to start things off.

A single by shortstop Fernando Garcia and a wild pitch by Orem pitcher Will Smith scored Van De Keere. Garcia later made it home on an infield dribbler by Chukar right fielder Shawn Griffin to tie things up.

The score remained tied until the Owlz got going in the eighth to put the game away.

Orem's Jimenez was 2-for-4 at the plate with a run and an RBI to pace the Owlz, while Griffen led Idaho Falls by going 1-for-3 with an RBI. The home team pitching staff also notched 10 strikeouts in the victory.

Orem's blistering 10-1 start had taken an icy turn before Tuesday night's contest as Casper had surged into a tie for first.

"It happens sometimes when you have a doubleheader," Kotchman said. "We lost three games in 48 hours and went from first to second. It's good to be back on the winning track."

The Owlz will try to remain on top tonight as they host Idaho Falls for the second game of the three game series with the Chukars. The first pitch is slated for 7 p.m. at Brent Brown Ballpark in Orem.

• Notes: Coming into Tuesday's action, Orem had a trifecta atop the Pioneer League hitting chart. Owlz Roberto Lopez (28), Luis Jimenez (23) and Angel Castillo (22) have the most hits in the league ... the Orem grounds crew was lauded between innings for their work in getting the field ready for Tuesday night's game. They had extra work to do after a stage was set up in centerfield for a concert on Monday night celebrating the transition of Utah Valley State College to Utah Valley University ... a brawl in Ogden on Monday meant that a few Chukars were ineligible for action on Tuesday. 11 players (four from Idaho Falls, five from the Raptors) were ejected for their part in the altercation.

• Jared Lloyd can be reached at jlloyd@heraldextra.com.