SKY SOX WIN WITH DRAMATIC WALKOFF FOR SECOND DAY IN A ROW

POSTGAME NOTES
Monday, June 18, 2018 vs. Salt Lake Bees
Colorado Springs Sky Sox (37-31) | Salt Lake Bees (40-31)
SKY SOX WIN WITH DRAMATIC WALKOFF FOR SECOND DAY IN A ROW
 
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The Sky Sox walked off against the Bees for the second day in a row Monday evening to win game three in dramatic fashion, 10-9, taking a 2-1 series lead in the process.
After an extremely exciting ninth inning concluded Sunday afternoon's contest, the first two innings of tonight's contest were fairly quiet, with the first run of the game not coming until the top of the third inning.  Sherman Johnson led off the inning with a walk for the Bees, advancing to second on a groundout and to third on a stolen base.  Michael Hermosillo then hit a sacrifice fly to center field to score Johnson and give Salt Lake the first lead of the game.
The Bees carried that momentum into the fourth frame, extending their lead further.  Taylor Ward led off the fourth with a single, advancing to second on a stolen bag.  Rymer Liriano hit a one-out single to put runners on the corners, and in the next at-bat Ben Revere reached on a force attempt with a Sky Sox throwing error that also allowed Liriano to move up to third and Revere to score to make it 2-0.  Johnson then hit a single to right field to score both Liriano and Revere to make it a 4-0 ballgame.  Matt Thaiss grounded out to end the inning without further damage, at least until the top of the next frame.
Salt Lake scored for the third consecutive inning in the fifth, this time by way of the longball.  Kaleb Cowart, who was just added to the Bees roster earlier today, hit a solo homer to straightaway center that bounced off the batter's eye to make it a 5-0 affair.
The Sky Sox answered in the bottom of the fifth, breaking up the shutout.  With two outs on the board, Dylan Moore hit his third triple of the season, coming home on the next at-bat via a Nate Orf single.  With Tyrone Taylor at the plate, Orf moved up to second on a balk.  Taylor then singled to score Orf to reduce the Bees lead to just three runs.
After a scoreless sixth, Colorado Springs doubled their number of runs in the seventh by scoring another pair.  Orf hit yet another two-out single to put one on for Taylor, who promptly hit his seventh home run of the season on the first pitch of the at-bat to reduce Salt Lake's lead to just one run.
The Sky Sox carried that momentum into the eighth to take their first lead of the game.  Jett Bandy drew a one-out walk, being pinch-run for by Kyle Wren.  Keon Broxton then singled to put runners on the corners, before stealing second for his nineteenth swipe of the 2018 campaign.  Andres Blanco then lined a single that struck Salt Lake pitcher Sean Isaac, deflecting off him into left field, allowing Wren and Broxton to score to make it 6-5.  With one on, Moore homered in the next at-bat to extend the Sky Sox lead to 8-5.
The ninth inning proved to be tumultuous for the Sky Sox for the second night in a row, having given up five runs in the ninth inning yesterday.  Revere led off with a single, followed by back-to-back walks from Francisco Arcia and Johnson to load the bases for Thaiss, who hit a grand slam to give the Bees a 9-8 lead.  Salt Lake proceeded to load the bases a second time, but left all three baserunners stranded, sending the one-run game to the bottom of the ninth. 
Brad Miller started the ninth inning off right with a leadoff walk, but two at-bats and two quick outs later the Sky Sox were down to their final out.  With Wren at the plate, Miller stole second to put himself into scoring position, and a Wren double brought him home to tie the game at 9-9.  Broxton then followed suit with a double of his own to score Wren and give Colorado Springs their second walkoff win over the Bees in as many days, taking a 2-1 series lead in the process.
The Sky Sox enter into game four of this four-game set with a 2-1 series over the Salt Lake Bees tomorrow with a 6:40 p.m. scheduled first pitch at Security Service Field.  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 Salt Lake Bees at Security Service Field in Colorado Springs, the Sky Sox are sending righty Alec Asher to the mound to face Bees righty Osmer Morales.
Have a Homestand, Sir:  Tyrone Taylor homered for the second night in a row Monday evening with a two-run blast in the seventh inning.  On Sunday, Taylor went 2-for-5 with a double, a homer, a run, and two RBI, including the walkoff fielder's choice RBI in the bottom of the ninth to win the Father's Day contest.
Orf Continues the Climb:  With the two hits by Nate Orf Monday evening, he has become the 20th player in Sky Sox history to collect 300 regular season hits in his Sky Sox career. At the moment, Orf is tied with Neifi Perez for 19th place with 300 hits.  The two runs by Orf has moved him to 11th place in regular season runs scored with 196 regular season runs scored, passing Edgard Velasquez Clemente (195 R), and Ben Petrick (194 R). Orf is one run away from tying Jay Gainer for 10th place with 197 runs.
Trouble Late:  The grand slam homer by Matt Thaiss in the ninth inning on Monday was the 18th Salt Lake grand slam hit against the Sky Sox, the most by any Sky Sox opponent, nine in Colorado Springs and nine in Salt Lake. It was the 17th hit in the regular season, with one hit in the postseason (hit by Mike Durant in Game 5 of the 1995 PCL Championship, on September 15th, 1995).  Prior to Monday night, the last Salt Lake player to hit a grand slam against a Sky Sox pitcher was on June 13th, 2014 by Efren Navarro, in the sixth inning off Christian Friedrich. Salt Lake won that game, 8-6.  The last time an opponent hit a grand slam in the ninth inning against a Sky Sox pitcher was on June 9th, 2016 at Autozone Park in Memphis, when Kolten Wong hit a walk-off grand slam homer against Jaye Chapman, with Memphis winning, 8-5.  The last time an opponent hit a grand slam homer in the top of the ninth inning at Security Service Field against a Sky Sox pitcher was on August 9th, 2002, when Omaha' Brandon Berger belted a top of the ninth inning grand slam homer off Chris Nichting, with Omaha winning 16-6.
Nine-Run Ninths:  The Sky Sox gave up four runs in the ninth inning Monday night, after giving up five runs in the ninth inning on Sunday, for a total of nine runs allowed in the final frame of the two games.
Pacific Southern Stretch: After one Pac-South series in the books, the Sky Sox are in midst of their second series of the division with Salt Lake. Last season, the Sky Sox went 9-7 against Pacific Southern opponents. Colorado Springs is currently 4-2 overall against Pacific Southern opponents this season.
Men in Back (-to-back):  The back-to-back homers Sunday afternoon by Keon Broxton and Nate Orf in the 7th inning now marks the 13th time a Sky Sox tandem has hit back-to-back homers against Salt Lake pitching.  The back-to-back homers by Taylor and Miller in the 4th and Broxton and Orf in the 7th marks only the fourth time in Sky Sox history where two Sky Sox players hit back-to-back homers in different innings in the same game, all here at Security Service Field.  The other instances:  June 14th, 1994, home vs. Albuquerque Dukes (Sky Sox won 17-9) - Jim Tatum and Alan Cockrell back-to-back in 5th inning, off Rick Gorecki, and Ty Van Burkleo and Jim Tatum back-to-back in 7th inning, off Jose Garcia, August 22nd, 2004, home vs. Albuquerque Isotopes (Sky Sox won 14-11) - Brad Hawpe and Andy Tracy back-to-back in 3rd inning, off Matt Blank, and Andy Tracy and Erick Almonte back-to-back in 5th inning, off Chris Michalak, June 27th, 2007, home vs. Tacoma Rainiers (Sky Sox won 23-11) - Ian Stewart and Joe Koshansky back-to-back in 5th inning, off Jake Woods, and Alvin Colina and Cory Sullivan back-to-back in 6th inning, off Juan Sandoval.
Takin' It For the Team: The hit by pitch by Nate Orf in the bottom of the ninth inning Sunday was his 30th career hit by pitch, moving past Jayhawk Owens for third place all-time in hit by pitches (Owens had 29). Clint Barmes holds the record with 47 HBP, with Mark Strittmatter second all-time at 35 HBP.
Over the Fence:  The Sky Sox belted five four-baggers on Sunday afternoon, setting a new season high for home runs in a single game. 
Fourth Time's the Charm:  The Sky Sox walked off in the bottom of the ninth inning on Father's Day (Sunday), marking their third walk-off of the season and their first since 5/12.  They followed up with another walkoff on Monday for their second walkoff in as many days and their fourth of the season.
Salt Lake Happenings: In 2017, the Sky Sox faced Salt Lake four times on the road, sweeping the Bees 4-0. In 2016, the Sky Sox a franchise-high in innings in a home game (18 innings) on May 14, 2016 at Security Service Field against the Bees, in which the Sky Sox won 2-1. On June 11, 2013, the Sky Sox trailed 9-1 after five and a half innings and went ahead to put up a 10-run inning in the bottom of the sixth against Salt Lake to take an 11-9 lead; the Sky Sox ended up winning 15-9.
No RBI Night: Despite plating two runs on the night, the Sky Sox as a team did not collect one RBI on Saturday. The squad went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position on Saturday night.
Consecutive Scoring: Colorado Springs plated runs in five consecutive innings on Friday night (3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th) and in six of the eight batting halves for the Sky Sox.
Orf's Leadoff Launch: Leadoff man for the Sky Sox Nathan Orf knocked his second home run of the season in the bottom of the first inning to put the home squad on the board Friday night. The leadoff homer by Orf marks the sixth time a Sky Sox player has hit a leadoff homer against a Las Vegas pitcher and the first time against a Las Vegas pitcher in nearly eight years. The last came on June 20th, 2010, by Dexter Fowler in the bottom of first off of Las Vegas' Lance Broadway (at Security Service Field); Sky Sox won 13-4. Orf's first homer of 2018 came on May 14 against Oklahoma City at Security Service Field. In 2017, the infielder totaled nine on the season.
This Week's Preview: The Sky Sox are in the midst of a seven-game homestand at Security Service Field and are currently in a four-game series against the Salt Lake Bees, Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. Following this series, the Sky Sox hit the road for Des Moines to face off against the Iowa Cubs.
 
NEXT GAME: Tuesday, June 19 vs. Salt Lake - 6:40 p.m. MT @ Security Service Field
RHP Alec Asher (3-2, 3.60) vs. RHP Osmer Morales (4-2, 5.23) | Broadcast on XTRA Sports 1300
$2 Tuesday - $2 Tickets, $2 Parking, $2 Coors Light (Sponsored by Boost Mobile)
 
COS TOP PERFORMERS
      Tyrone Taylor (2-for-5, HR, 3 RBI, 1 R)
      Keon Broxton (2-for-5, 2B, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 SB)
      Dylan Moore (2-for-3, 3B, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R)
 
SL TOP PERFORMERS
      Matt Thaiss (2-for-5, HR [GS], 4 RBI, 1 R)
      Sherman Johnson (1-for-2, 2 RBI, 2 R, 2 BB)
      Kaleb Cowart (1-for-4, HR, 1 RBI, 1 R)