Slumping Sky Sox Pull Out 6-5 Victory Over Beavers

Published on July 20, 2008 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Portland Beavers News Release


PORTLAND, Ore. - Sean Barker's two-out RBI single snapped a tie in the top of the eighth and the Colorado Springs Sky Sox won for just the second time in their last 10 games by defeating the Portland Beavers 6-5 before 7,489 Sunday afternoon at PGE Park.

Adam Melhuse was 3-for-4 with a walk and an RBI, and Christian Colonel homered and drove in two runs for the Sky Sox, who snapped Portland's five-game winning streak.

Each of the first six batters in the Colorado Springs lineup had at least two hits as the Sky Sox out-hit the Beavers 15-5 to beat them for the just the third time in 10 meetings this season.

Peter Ciofrone hit in his 17th straight game, and Josh Bard and Justin Huber hit solo home runs for the Beavers, who wrap up their homestand Monday at 1:05 p.m.

The Sky Sox (48-53) saw leads of 2-0 and 4-2 dissolve, eventually allowing the Beavers (52-47) to take a 5-4 lead with a three-run sixth.

But the Sky Sox got back to even as Barker led off the seventh with a double, stole third and scored when Melhuse placed a single into center. An inning later, Eduardo Cornejo walked against reliever Justin Hampson (1-2) and eventually scored the go-ahead run with two outs when incoming reliever Dirk Hayhurst issued an additional walk before giving up Barker's decisive single to right.

Cedrick Bowers (5-1) got credit with the win by turning in 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Steven Register worked the ninth inning for his 15th save.

After Craig Stansberry forced in a run with a bases-loaded single to get the Beavers to within a run in the sixth, Ciofrone extended his hitting streak with a looping single that fell between three fielders in shallow right-center and allowed the tying and go-ahead runs to come across for a 5-4 Portland lead.

For the second time in the last two games, the Beavers got back-to-back home runs in an inning - this time taking advantage of solo blasts by Bard and Huber to tie the game 2-2 in the second.

The first three batters reached base in the top of the first, and the Sky Sox took an early, two-run lead with Colonel's RBI single and a base-loaded walk to Jeff Dragicevich, who joined the team during Saturday night's game.

Doug Bernier's RBI double gave the Sky Sox their second lead in the fourth and Colonel made it a 4-2 cushion with a leadoff home run off starter Josh Geer in the fifth.

Beavers Game File

SUNDAY'S GAME: Colorado Springs 6, Beavers 5

WINNING PITCHER: Bowers (5-1)

LOSING PITCHER: Hampson (1-2)

SAVE: Register (15)

HOME RUNS: Bard (1), Huber (3), Colonel (6)

MONDAY'S GAME: Colorado Springs (Valerio De Los Santos: 3-4, 5.30) at Portland (Cesar Ramos: 8-7, 6.52), 1:05 p.m.; live audio broadcast on KKAD AM-1550 and www.portlandbeavers.com.

MONDAY'S PROMOTION: The Beavers wrap up their homestand with a special matinee contest that starts at 1:05 p.m. Gates open at 12 noon.

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Pacific Coast League Stories from July 20, 2008


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