Sox Nearly Notch 5th No-Hitter in Franchise History

Published on June 20, 2012 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Colorado Springs Sky Sox News Release


The Colorado Springs Sky Sox (34-37) nearly put together their fifth no-hitter in franchise history holding the Salt Lake Bees (35-37) hitless until the ninth inning, but two hits and two runs in the final frame for the Bees broke up Sky Sox history in a series-opening 8-2 win for Colorado Springs.

Sky Sox starter Drew Pomeranz (3-4, 2.61 ERA) earned his first win since May 18 by holding the Bees without a hit through his six innings of work, his second and longest hitless start in his professional career, while posting a season-high eight strikeouts. Pomeranz has allowed nine earned runs in 30.1 innings at Security Service Field in his career while totaling 30 strikeouts in six starts. Colorado Springs relievers Mike Ekstrom and Zach Putnam kept the no-hitter going until Salt Lake third baseman Luis Jimenez blooped a single to right field off Putnam after he set down the Bees in order in the eighth.

The no-hitter would have been the fifth in franchise history, and first since the Sky Sox posted two during the 2009 season. The eight and one third innings was the third longest in a game the Sky Sox have gone before giving up their first hit, as Colorado Springs lost two no-hitters in the span of eight days in their first year of affiliation with the Rockies in 1993, going nine and one third innings against Vancouver and eight and two thirds innings against Calgary. The no-hitter would have been the fourth combined no-hitter in team history.

The Sox offense held their own with the outstanding pitching performance by scoring early and often in the ball game, plating runs in four of the first five innings for seven total runs. Colorado Springs leftfielder Andrew Brown led the Sky Sox with two RBI in the game, to up his team-leading total to 53 RBI on the season. Every Sox batter either scored or knocked in a run while seven notched a multi-hit game, led by centerfielder Tim Wheeler who extended the longest hitting streak by a Colorado Springs player this season to 16 games with three hits on the night. Wheeler is batting .396 (19-for-48) at home this season, and has collected a hit in all of career games at Security Service Field.

The win moves the Sky Sox to within a half game of the second place Bees, and is the first time this season Colorado Springs has held Salt Lake to less than six runs in their five meetings this season. In the second game of the series, the Sox will send out right-hander Carlos Torres (3-3, 3.11 ERA) to face off with Bees righty Eddie McKiernan (2-2, 7.71 ERA) at 7:05 p.m. MT.

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Pacific Coast League Stories from June 20, 2012


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