Sox Rough up Rainiers' Top Prospect in 8-4 Win

Published on June 23, 2012 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Colorado Springs Sky Sox News Release


The Colorado Springs Sky Sox (37-38) notched their seventh win in their last nine games by taking the series opener from the Tacoma Rainiers (31-44) by a score of 8-4, with the Sky Sox amassing double-digit hits for the sixth consecutive game to give them 86 hits during that six-game stretch.

The Sox faced the Seattle Mariners number one prospect in Tacoma left-hander Danny Hultzen, who was making his Triple-A debut in the game after posting a 1.13 ERA in 13 starts in Double-A, and Colorado Springs touched up the top prospect for five runs in his three innings of work. The Sox capitalized on five walks by Hultzen, with three of those baserunners coming around to score, and Colorado Springs RBI leader Andrew Brown drew a bases loaded walk to collect his team-leading 64th RBI on the season for his sixth consecutive game with at least one run knocked in. Infielders Brandon Wood and Chad Tracy did the damage in the first inning with back-to-back RBI hits off Hultzen, and combined to account for six of the eight Sox runs in the game.

Sox starter Brandon Hynick (1-1, 7.04 ERA) earned his first win for the Sky Sox since August 19, 2009 by outlasting the Rainiers prospect, allowing four runs in five innings while striking out five Tacoma batters. After the Rainiers tied the ballgame at 4-4, Hynick and the Sky Sox bullpen held Tacoma to only three hits and four total baserunners in the final five innings of the game. Colorado Springs reliever Dustin Molleken struck out four in his two innings of work in the seventh and eighth innings, his most strikeouts in his team-high 34 appearances this season, for his Pacific Coast League-leading eleventh hold of the 2012 season.

Sox outfielder Tim Wheeler led the team with four hits in the ballgame, the most hits he has recorded in his 29 career Triple-A games, and now has a team-leading 34 hits in the month of June as well as the highest batting average at Security Service Field at .409. Since returning from a hand injury on June 1 Wheeler has recorded a hit in all but two of his 21 games played and is batting .378 during that span.

The two teams came in to the game with a split against each other in 300 total meetings, and with the win the Sky Sox now own the slimmest of edges in the all-time record at 151-150. Colorado Springs will look for their fourth straight win as they send out Rockies top pitching prospect Drew Pomeranz (3-4, 2.61 ERA), who tossed six hitless innings in his last start as a part of the Sox near no-hitter on June 19. Pomeranz will face off with Rainiers right-hander Andrew Carraway (2-2, 3.51 ERA) at 1:05 p.m. MT.

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Pacific Coast League Stories from June 23, 2012


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