PCL1 Oklahoma City Comets

Late Surge Sends RedHawks to 11-4 Win

Published on July 24, 2013 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Oklahoma City Comets News Release


Papillion, Neb. - One day after being on the wrong end of a couple of late comebacks, the Oklahoma City RedHawks turned a two-run deficit in the eighth inning into an 11-4 win over the Omaha Storm Chasers before 5,506 at Werner Park Wednesday afternoon.

Trailing 4-2 in the eighth, the RedHawks (56-49) exploded for seven runs. They also notched seven hits in the inning, tying their season high for the most hits in one frame.

Oklahoma City scored four times before an out was recorded. George Springer tied the game with an RBI single, and two batters later, Jimmy Paredes provided the go-ahead hit.

The highlight of the inning came with two outs and the Redhawks leading 7-4. Ruben Sosa sent a deep drive to right-center field and came all the way around to score for a two-run inside-the-park home run.

It was the first home run of Sosa's career and the first inside-the-park homer by a RedHawk since Hernan Iribarren did it at home against Round Rock on April 13, 2010.

Sosa also became the first player ever to hit an inside-the-park home run at Werner Park, which opened in 2011. He was also the first Omaha opponent to do it since Edmonton's Michael Restovich back on Aug. 28, 2002.

The RedHawks tacked on two more runs in the ninth, ensuring there would be no comeback by the Storm Chasers. They tallied nine runs and 10 hits over the final two innings, finishing with 16 hits for the game.

Until the eighth, Omaha (56-49) had led almost the entire game. The Storm Chasers jumped in front in the first inning on passed ball by RedHawks catcher Carlos Perez to take a 1-0 lead.

The RedHawks started slow at the plate and were held to just one hit through the first innings. With one out in the fourth, Springer singled and Brandon Laird followed with his team-leading 12th home run of the season to give the RedHawks their first lead at 2-1.

The lead was short-lived, though. Quintin Berry connected on a two-run homer in the bottom of the inning to put the Storm Chasers back in the lead. It was the first home run allowed by the RedHawks in 70 innings, a streak that spanned parts of nine games.

It didn't take long for the Storm Chasers to connect on their next home run. Christian Colon led off the bottom of the fifth with a line drive that just eclipsed the fence in left field to make it 4-2.

RedHawks starting pitcher Brad Peacock saw an impressive run of seven straight quality starts come to an end Wednesday. He allowed four runs over six innings, and the eight hits he gave up were the most in his 12 starts with the RedHawks.

It was the first time Peacock allowed more than two earned runs in a game since May 24 in Iowa. He struck out six and walked one, and over his last five starts, Peacock has 36 strikeouts against four walks.

Philip Humber claimed his first win since July 28, 2012 with three innings of scoreless and hitless relief. Humber (1-4) retired nine of the 10 batters he faced, with the only baserunner reaching on a wild pitch after a third strike. He struck out four total.

The Storm Chasers got a nice start from Justin Marks, who was charged with four runs over seven-plus innings. He had retired 11 of 12 hitters entering the eighth, including the last seven straight.

Michael Mariot (2-5) was credited with his third blown save and allowed five runs and five hits over one inning pitched.

The RedHawks and Storm Chasers will meet for the final time in 2013 Thursday night at 7:05 p.m. Live coverage begins at 6:35 p.m. on AM 1340 "The Game," 1340thegame.com, or through the free IHeartRadio mobile app.

Check out the Oklahoma City Comets Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Pacific Coast League Stories from July 24, 2013


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central