PL Idaho Falls Chukars

Chukars Tumble at Grand Junction

Published on August 25, 2015 under Pioneer League (PL)
Idaho Falls Chukars News Release


GRAND JUNCTION, CO --- A night after reaching a .500 overall record for the first time since June 24, the Idaho Falls Chukars fell under the even mark with a 10-2 loss at the hands of the Grand Junction Rockies on Monday night.

From the first inning on, the Chukars pitching staff was no match for the Rockies bats, as they scored double-digit runs for the first time in over a month.

Following a solo homer from designated hitter Brendan Rodgers in the first inning and a RBI single from outfielder Cole Anderson an inning after, Grand Junction began to put the game away in the next two frames.

Against starting pitcher Daniel Concepcion (L, 1-2), the Rockies batted around in the third inning and scored four runs on a two-run double from infielder Jonathan Piron and a two-run single from outfielder Bobby Stahel. One inning later, a RBI double from Rodgers and a wild pitch from lefty Cruz Guevaraplayed the final two runs of the game.

Offensively for the Chukars, they could only muster a RBI single from outfielder Roman Collins in the third inning and a solo homer from first basemen Josh Banuelos in the fourth inning.

For Banuelos, the homer was his second in as many nights and his third of the year against Grand Junction. In eleven games against the Rockies this year, Banuelos has 20 runs batted in and 13 runs scored.

In addition to Banuelos, Idaho Falls got two hits from second basemen DJ Burt. The 19-year-old increased his hit streak to 10 games and on-base streak to 40 consecutive games.

On the pitching side for Grand Junction, four relief pitchers combined to shutout the Chukars offense for the final five innings of the game. Righty Lorenz Ozuna earned the win, improving to 2-3 on the year by blanking the Idaho Falls offense in two innings of work while striking out four batters in process.

From a pitching perspective for the Chukars, lefty Ian Tompkins tossed three scoreless frames, striking out four batters without giving up a hit.

The Chukars will wrap their four-game series against the Grand Junction Rockies on Tuesday. Idaho Falls will send RHP Todd Eaton to the bump while the Rockies will counter with RHP Mike Nikorak. First pitch is at 7:05 PM.

Make sure to tune to John Balginy and Alex Cohen all season long on MiLBTV, the Chukars Tune-In Radio App and live on ESPN 980 AM, 105.1 FM and 94.5 FM.

Check out the Idaho Falls Chukars Statistics

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Pioneer League Stories from August 25, 2015


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