In most sports, offense provides a lot of the excitement -- but defense wins ball games and championships.

The Orem Owlz took that philosophy to heart Saturday evening at Brent Brown Ballpark in the first game of their three-game Pioneer League South Division playoff series against Ogden.

The Owlz allowed two Raptor runs in the fourth but shut them out in the other eight innings, as they rolled to the 7-2 win and a 1-0 lead in the series.

"This was obviously important, being at home," said Orem manager Tom Kotchman. "By not winning the first half, you don't have the luxury of having two games at home. The crowd was decent tonight and we hope some of them will come up to Ogden tomorrow."

Starting pitcher Stephen Locke controlled the game, pitching seven strong innings for the Owlz and scattering six hits with five strikeouts and two walks.

Reliever Fabio Martinez was nearly untouchable in relief, picking up three strikeouts and not allowing a single baserunner in his two innings of work.

"Locke is a finesse pitcher, so he has to hit his spots and change his speed," Kotchman said. "He did that all night. Pitching sets the tone for the game and Locke did a good job.

"Then Martinez came in and threw strikes. That was a big test for him on this type of stage. To hold a team like Ogden to two runs is saying something."

While the pitchers played a key role in the win, Kotchman emphasized the job done by catcher Carlos Ramirez in managing the game from behind the plate.

"You can't overemphasize the way Ramirez handles the pitching staff," the Orem manager said. "He and Locke worked outstanding together tonight."

Orem also proved to be solid in the field, making no errors a they kept the power-hitting Ogden lineup at bay.

The home team started slowly at the plate, recording eight straight outs before centerfielder Travis Witherspoon connected with a fastball with two outs in the third and parked it over the left-field fence.

Trailing by one, the Raptors came out strong in the fourth, scoring two runs on three hits to go in front.

The Ogden lead didn't last long, however, as the Owlz rallied in their half of the inning.

A single and two hit batters loaded the bases with no outs and Orem jumped on the opportunity. Third baseman Casey Haerther hit an RBI single to tie things up, then designated hitter Michael Wing brought home another run with a sacrifice fly.

The crushing hit came as left fielder Justin Bass drilled a triple to the wall that drove in two more runs and gave the Owlz a more comfortable advantage.

"We got some big hits," Kotchman said. "Against a team like Ogden that can hit it out of the park, no lead is safe. You can't let your guard down. You have to take it one pitch at a time."

Orem add an insurance run in the fifth on an RBI single by Ramirez and another in the eighth when Wing followed Haerther's double with a double of his own to finish off the scoring.

Haerther led the way at the play for the home team, going 3-for-4 with an RBI and scoring two runs.

The Owlz might've been up be even more but double plays with runners in scoring position in the fourth, sixth and eighth kept the Raptors within striking distance.

The victory puts Orem one win away from advancing to the Pioneer League championship beginning next week against the winner of the Missoula-Great Falls series. The Owlz have two chances -- today and Monday, if necessary -- to close things out.

Tonight's game is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. in Ogden.

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