EXPRESS END FIVE-GAME LOSING STREAK WITH EXTRA-INNING WIN

POSTGAME NOTES
Wednesday, July 18, 2018 vs. Round Rock Express (TEX)
Colorado Springs Sky Sox (53-42) | Round Rock Express (45-51)
EXPRESS END FIVE-GAME LOSING STREAK WITH EXTRA-INNING WIN
 
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The Sky Sox suffered their first home loss of the second half on Wednesday night, losing to the Round Rock Express 10-8 in extra-innings (10).  With the win, Round Rock stopped a five-game losing streak.
After an extremely tight game last night that ended with the Sky Sox walking off in the bottom of the ninth inning to win game two 11-10, Colorado Springs jumped out to an early lead on Wednesday night, scoring a pair of runs in the very first inning of game three.  Jake Hager led off with a single for his sixth hit in six consecutive at-bats (after going 5-for-6 last night with five consecutive hits in his final five at-bats).  Hager then stole second, advancing to third on an Orlando Arcia single.  Tyrone Taylor-the hero of last night's game after hitting the walk-off RBI single in the ninth-hit another RBI single to score Hager and advance Arcia to third, giving the Sky Sox the first lead of the evening.  Taylor then stole second to put two runners in scoring position.  Two outs later, Jett Bandy was hit by pitch to load the bases for Dylan Moore, who drew a walk to force home Arcia and make it 2-0.  A groundout ended the inning, with the Sky Sox leaving the bases loaded.
After scoreless second and third innings, the Express scored in the top of the fourth to bring the lead within one.  Willie Calhoun hit a one-out single, moving up to second on a Carlos Pèrez walk, and up to third one batter later on a Nick Torres single.  Hunter Cole then struck out for the second out of the inning, but a Tony Sanchez single would score Calhoun to make it 2-1.
Colorado Springs replied in the bottom half of the fourth frame with another pair of runs.  Moore led off with his sixteenth double of the season on the first pitch he saw, scoring two batters later on a Gabriel Noriega homer to extend the Sky Sox lead to 4-1.  It was Noriega's first homer in a Sky Sox uniform.  His last Triple-A home run came all the way back on 8/21/14 when he was with the Tacoma Rainiers, at Cheney Stadium against the Omaha Storm Chasers.
Round Rock kept the offensive momentum chugging along in the top of the fifth, scoring yet again.  In the first at-bat of the inning, Drew Robinson hit a solo homer over the right field fence to make it a 4-2 affair.  In the top of the sixth inning, the Express did it again when Cole hit yet another solo homer to bring the lead within one run once again. 
In the top of the seventh frame, the Express scored for the fourth consecutive inning.  Hanser Alberto led off with a bunt single, before Robinson followed suit with a single of his own.  Cliff Pennington then hit into a fielder's choice, forcing Alberto out at third, to put two on with one out.  Andy Ibanez then hit an RBI double to plate Robinson and tie the game.  With runners on second and third, Calhoun was intentionally walked to load the bases and set up a potential double play.  Perez singled in the next at-bat, however, scoring Pennington and Ibanez to give Round Rock their first lead of the evening at 6-4.
The Express refused to let up, scoring for the fifth inning in a row in the top of the eighth.  Cole led off with a double, moving up to third on a ground out.  A sacrifice fly off the bat off Alberto allowed him to trot him to make it 7-4 Round Rock.
The Sky Sox didn't go quietly, making things interesting in the bottom of the ninth frame.  Hager and Arcia led off with back-to-back singles, but those were immediately followed by two strikeouts to put Colorado Springs down to their last out.  Christian Bethancourt then doubled to clear the bases and make it a one-run game.  Bandy then drew a walk to put two on, and Quintin Berry came into the game to pinch-run for Bethancourt. Moore then hit a game-tying RBI single to plate Berry and keep the game alive.  Andres Blanco then popped out in foul territory to send the game into extra innings tied at seven runs apiece.
With the new minor league extra-inning rules in place this season, the Express began the tenth with Torres on second.  A Cole single put runners on the corners for Juan Centeno, who had replaced Sanchez at catcher after Sanchez had been ejected earlier in the game.  Centeno singled to score Torres and move Cole to second.  Alberto then flew out for the first out of the extra inning, before Robinson tripled to clear the bases and give Round Rock a 10-7 lead. 
In the bottom of the tenth, the Sky Sox started with Blanco on second base, and Noriega at the plate.  Noriega grounded out for the first out of the inning, moving Blanco over to third in the process.  Hager grounded out for the second out of the inning, scoring Blanco to make it 10-8.  Down to their last chance, Arcia grounded out to end the game, with the Sky Sox losing 10-8 to fall to 2-1 in the series.
The Sky Sox head into game four of the series tomorrow with a 2-1 series advantage. First pitch at Security Service Field is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. Following this home series, the Sky Sox hit the road to Memphis for a three-game set against the Redbirds.  For all information on Sky Sox, follow along on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and visit the team's website at www.skysox.com.
_NOTES_
Tomorrow's Preview: In the final game of the four-game series against the Round Rock Express in Colorado Springs, the Sky Sox are sending righty Paolo Espino to the mound to face off against Round Rock's right-hander Adrian Sampson, who is searching for his fifth win of the season.  Espino is looking for his fourth.
Noriega Joins the Party:  In the fourth inning on Wednesday night, Gabriel Noriega hit a two-run home run to make it 4-1 for his first homer in a Sky Sox uniform.  His last Triple-A home run came all the way back on 8/21/14 when he was with the Tacoma Rainiers, at Cheney Stadium against the Omaha Storm Chasers.
Sweet Tally: Manager Rick Sweet is nine regular season wins away to pass Brad Mills for the regular season wins as Sky Sox manager and 12 wins away to pass him in overall wins with the Sky Sox.
The Double Triple:  Drew Robinson's triple in the 10^th inning Wednesday night, his second triple in the game, marked the 18th time an opponent has had two triples in a game against the Sky Sox.  The last opponent with a two triple game against the Sky Sox: John Andreoli (Iowa) on April 28th, 2015 (G2) in Colorado Springs.  The last Round Rock player with a two triple game against the Sky Sox: Jared Hoying on April 13th, 2015 in Colorado Springs.
Hager Goes Off:  Infielder Jake Hager collected his third career five-hit game on Tuesday against Round Rock. He went 5-for-6 after collecting a double and four singles with an RBI and two runs. His first five-hit game was on June 29, 2012 while with Bowling Green where he went 5-for-5 with three doubles. His last was on April 26, 2016 while with Montgomery when he went 5-for-5 (all singles). After going 5-for-6 on Tuesday night with all five hits coming in consecutive at-bats, Jake Hager kept his streak going on Wednesday night after going 3-for-3 in his first three at-bats of the night to make it eight hits in eight consecutive at-bats.  He grounded out in his fourth at-bat to end the streak at eight, but hit a single in his fifth at-bat and grounded out in his sixth to go 4-for-6 on the night, and 9-for-12 in the two contests combined.  The 5-hit game Tuesday and 4-hit game Wednesday by Jake Hager marks the ninth instance where a Sky Sox player had 4 hits or more in back-to-back games. Charlie Culberson was the last to do it (4 hits on July 13th, 2013 and 4 hits on July 14th, 2013 vs. Salt Lake). Culberson is the only player to have back-to-back four hit games twice with the Sky Sox (also doing it on September 1st and 2nd, 2012).  Hager is only the fourth player in Sky Sox history to hit in consecutive games involving both a 4-hit and a 5-hit game. The other three: - Ed Hearn - 4 hits on July 30th, 1990, and 5 hits on July 31st, 1990, - Jeff Manto - 5 hits on July 18th, 1991 and 4 hits on July 19th, 1991, - J.R. Phillips - 4 hits on August 8th, 1999 and 5 hits on August 9th, 1999.
Long List: With the addition of Jeff Ames on Tuesday night, Ames became the 56th different player to play for the Sky Sox this season (27 position players, 29 pitchers), almost reaching the season totals for the last two seasons: - 2016 (57 players - 27 position players + 30 pitchers), - 2017 (55 during regular season - 24 position players +31 pitchers) [- 4 additional in 2017 postseason - 3 position players + 1 pitcher)]. The addition of Jeff Ames on Tuesday raises the 31-year his- tory of the Triple-A of Sky Sox baseball to 1,085 players who have appeared in one game (regular season or postseason), 512 position players and 573 pitchers. With the recent first time call-ups of Nate Orf and Corbin Burnes earlier in July, it now marks that 822 of the Sky Sox 1,085 players (75.8%) that have appeared in one game in the majors. During the four affiliation with the Brewers since 2015, there have been 145 players that have played for the Sky Sox (69 position players + 76 pitchers). With Boone Logan's appearance with the Sky Sox earlier this season, there has also been seven additional players who played for the Sky Sox during the Colorado Rockies affiliation (1993-2014) and the Milwaukee Brewers affiliation (since 2015): position players Michael McKenry, Chris Nelson, and Eric Young, Jr., plus four pitchers: Logan, Jim Miller, Josh Roenicke, and Rob Swahili.
Santana Knocks Two: Outfielder Domingo Santana knocked his first and second Sky Sox home runs in clutch fashion Tuesday night. With one out in the bottom of the fourth and down a run, he hit an opposite-field home run to make it a 7-5 Sky Sox lead. In the sixth, he hit a solo shot to tie the game up at 8-8. Before being optioned on June 23, Santana played in 62 games for the Brewers with three home runs.
Two-HR Games: Santana's two-home run game against Round Rock at home marked the first individual two-home run game since July 1 in Round Rock when Nate Orf slugged two and fourth total of the season for the Sky Sox. The last two- homer home game against Round Rock was on May 7, 2008 by Ian Stewart.
19 Hits: The Sky Sox marked a second-highest mark in hits on the season with 19 against Round Rock on Tuesday. The most they have accrued this season so far is 20, which was met on April 30 against Nashville at home.
Another 10-Run Matchup: Tuesday night's run parade marked the eighth time where the Sky Sox and Express have both scored 10 runs each in a game against each other.
New High In Walks: The Sky Sox arms set a new high in walks this season with 11 total on Tuesday night. The previous high set this season was 10 which was set just three games prior on July 14 in New Orleans. On Tuesday night, every Sky Sox pitcher had at least one walk. The last time Sky Sox pitching gave up 11 walks at home was on April 7, 2011 against Tucson.
Walk This Way: There were 17 total walks in Saturday night's contest between the Baby Cakes and the Sky Sox, with the Sky Sox issuing 10 and the Baby Cakes allowing seven free passes. The last time the Sky Sox issued at least 10 walks in a game and still won the game took place last year on May 16th, 2017 in El Paso, when the Sky Sox issued 11 walks and still beat the Chihuahuas, 15-11.
Home Run Count: With 20 home runs this month through 7/17, the Sky Sox had tied for their second-most in a month in just 14 games. Their second highest count was 20, which was set over 29 games in May. The most they have tallied in a month came in June, which was 37 HR over 28 games. On Wednesday night Gabriel Noriega hit homer number 21 to surpass May's effort for second-most homers in a month for the Sky Sox, and in just 15 games.
Dillard With Two: Reliever Tim Dillard notched his second win of the season with the Sky Sox Tuesday night. He now is tied for 17th in most wins for a Sky Sox pitcher overall with Hiram Burgos, Pete Walker and Nate Minchey with 15 wins. 14 of Dillard's 15 wins have come in relief, which is good for a tie for fourth all-time with Scott Fredrickson (1993, 95, 96) for most wins in relief.
Davis' 36th: Reliever Erik Davis made his 36th appearance Tuesday night, putting him into a tie for third in most games pitched across the PCL.
Former Sky Sox To MLB All-Stars: Four 2018 National League All-Stars spent time with the Sky Sox during their Triple-A campaigns: reliever Josh Hader (MIL - 2017), Charlie Blackmon (COL - 2011-13), Nolan Arenado (COL - 2013-14), and Scooter Gennett (MIL - 2015).
Ramirez' First Career Start: Since being converted to a pitcher two seasons ago, Nick Ramirez had pitched in a total of 77 games before getting his first start, which came on Monday night against the Round Rock Express. Ramirez threw four innings in the start, giving up no runs on just a sole hit with one walk while striking out a pair of Express batters.
This Week's Preview: The Sky Sox returned home on Monday, July 16 to take on the Round Rock Express (TEX) for four games before going back on the road for three games in Memphis against the Redbirds July 20-22.
 
 
NEXT GAME: Thursday, July 19 at 6:40 p.m. MT vs. Round Rock Express @ Security Service Field
RHP Paolo Espino (3-2, 3.38) vs. RHP Adrian Sampson (4-3, 4.95) - Broadcast on XTRA Sports 1300
Promotion: $3 Thirsty Thursday - $3 Tickets, $3 Parking, $3 Blue Moon (Presented by Sierra Nevada/Coors)
 
COS TOP PERFORMERS
 Jake Hager (4-for-6, 2 R, 1 RBI, SB)
 Gabriel Noriega (1-for-5, HR, 1 R, 2 RBI)
 Dylan Moore (3-for-4, 2 RBI, 1 BB)
 
RR TOP PERFORMERS
 Drew Robinson (4-for-5, HR, 2 3B, 2 R, 3 RBI)
 Hunter Cole (3-for-5, HR, 2B, 3 R, 1 RBI)
 Andy Ibáñez (3-for-6, 2B, 1 R, 1 RBI)