CUBS EVEN SERIES AS SKY SOX STRUGGLE AT THE PLATE

POSTGAME NOTES
Thursday, May 31, 2018 vs. Iowa Cubs
Colorado Springs Sky Sox (28-24) | Iowa Cubs (21-31)
CUBS EVEN SERIES AS SKY SOX STRUGGLE AT THE PLATE
 
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - After an impressive offensive performance from the Sky Sox last night in game one of this series versus Iowa, Colorado Springs struggled at the plate Thursday night in game two, falling to the Cubs 9-2.
Mike Freeman led off the game with a single for the Cubs, followed by David Bote reaching on a hit-by-pitch.  Efren Navarro hit a come-backer in the next at-bat, hitting Colorado Springs starter Adrian Houser and forcing him to leave the game with an apparent injury.  Tristan Archer came into the game to replace Houser on the mound for the Sky Sox, giving up a groundout that scored Freeman before getting out of the inning.
Keon Broxton became Colorado Springs' first baserunner of the game in the bottom half of the frame after drawing a one-out walk.  Tyrone Taylor singled to advance Broxton to third, and Christian Bethancourt grounded out to score Broxton and tie the game at 1-1.
The Cubs went three up and three down to start the second, with the Sky Sox breaking up the tie in the bottom half of the inning.  Andres Blanco reached on an Iowa fielding error, and Dylan Moore hit an RBI double to score Blanco and give the Sky Sox a 2-1 lead.
The lead was short-lived, however, with Iowa striking back in the third.  With one out on the board, Freeman hit his second single in as many at-bats, scoring two pitches later on a Bote double to the right-center field gap to tie the game at two runs apiece.  Navarro singled in the next at-bat to score Bote and give Iowa a 3-2 lead.
In the top of the fifth, Bote hit a one-out single for Iowa.  Navarro flew out for the second out of the inning, but Mark Zagunis hit a single to keep the inning alive and push Bote into scoring position at second base.  Victor Caratini then singled to score Bote to extend the Cubs lead to 4-2.
After two scoreless frames, Navarro kicked off the eighth inning for the Cubs with a walk.  Zagunis singled to put runners on the corners, with Caratini hitting an RBI single in the next at-bat to score Navarro.  Jacob Hannemann hit a bunt single to load the bases, causing the Sky Sox to make a mid-inning pitching change.  With Jorge López now on the mound for the Sky Sox with the bases loaded and no outs, Lane Adams reached on a Sky Sox error that allowed Zagunis to score to make it a 6-2 affair.  Bijan Rademacher then came in to pinch-hit for Iowa, hitting an RBI single that scored Caratini and Hanneman, with Adams going to third.  Stephen Bruno reached on a fielder's choice that allowed Adams to score to make it 9-2.  The seven-run differential would hold as the Cubs evened the series at one game each.
The Sky Sox are in the midst of a five-game homestand against the Iowa Cubs that will end on June 3, before going back on the road for nine days and seven games.  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 game three of the five-game set against the Iowa Cubs at Security Service Field, the Sky Sox are sending right-hander Corbin Burnes to the mound to face southpaw Kyle Ryan. Burnes will be looking for his second win of the season and Ryan will be looking for his first.
 
Struggling at the Plate:  Prior to Thursday night, the fewest hits the Sky Sox had in a game this season was four, which they had done five times, with the last occurrence coming on 5/29 in Memphis versus the Redbirds.  Thursday night Colorado Springs only mustered three hits against Iowa.
 
Chuck Joins the Party:  In the bottom of the seventh inning Thursday night, Charlie Meyer hit a pinch-hit single for the Sky Sox in his first at-bat of the 2018 season.
 
Stranger Pitching Things:  Adrian Houser made his 2018 debut with the Sky Sox Thursday night, but was forced to exit the game after facing just three batters when a come-backer hit him, causing an apparent injury.  Later in the game, Bubba Derby, who had come in to pitch relief for Colorado Springs, had an impressive at-bat of his own, drawing a legitimate seven-pitch walk.
 
Bombs on Bombs on Bombs: The Sky Sox hit three homers Wednesday against the Iowa Cubs, marking the first time this season Colorado Springs has had three dingers in one game. They had hit two homers five times previously this season, with the last coming on 5/25. One of the three homers came o the bat of Brett Phillips, who was celebrating his 24th birthday that day.
 
Marked Improvement: The Sky Sox scored 13 runs Wednesday night, which is more runs than they scored in either of their previous road series. In the five-game series last week against Memphis, the Sky Sox scored a combined six runs. In the four-game series last week against Nashville, the Sky Sox scored a combined twelve runs.
 
Brady Hits 300: Michael Brady threw one scoreless inning of relief Tuesday night in Memphis, marking his 300th Minor League game pitched.
 
Road Troubles: The Sky Sox dropped their fifth series of the season after their loss to Memphis Monday afternoon. With the fourth consecutive loss on Tuesday, the Sky Sox finished their road trip going 2-7 over nine games in Nashville and Memphis. The team now totals six series wins, five series losses, and two series ties.
 
Halted at Four, Again: The Sky Sox were held to four hits three times throughout the five-game series with Memphis on Saturday night, Monday afternoon, and Tuesday afternoon at AutoZone Park. Before the series, the last time Colorado Springs was held to four hits was by Oklahoma City at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark on May 5. The first time the Sky Sox marked the four-hit low came on April 7 at Omaha in game one of the doubleheader.
 
Road Trip Scoring: Over the nine-game stretch on the Tennessee road trip, the Sky Sox plated nine of 67 runners in scoring position. The Colorado Springs squad has collected a total of 57 hits with four home runs and eight doubles.
 
Short Ones: The two-hour and fourteen-minute Saturday night contest in Memphis marked the shortest game the Sky Sox have played in this season. The previous shortest game was ended at two hours and twenty minutes on May 6 at Oklahoma City. Sunday night fell within the same territory at just two hours and 22 minutes in length.
 
Blanked Twice: After marking their third team shutout Thursday night in the final game in Nashville, the Sky Sox powerhouse offense was finally put to a stop for the first time Saturday night, coming 48 games in. The shutout loss on Saturday was in game 48, the fourth latest to start a season before getting shutout. The longest to start a season was game number 92 in the 2008 season. The Sky Sox were shut out again Sunday night after another excellent outing from the Redbirds pitching staff, who only allowed six hits and two walks with seven strikeouts in the combined shutout. The last time the Sky Sox were shut out in back-to-back nine-inning games was June 11th and 12th, 2016, both at Memphis. This marked only the fourth time the Sky Sox have been shut out in back-to-back nine-inning games. The others: 4/27-28/2006 at Las Vegas (7-0, 5-0), 7/22-23/2007 at Fresno (2-0, 4-0), and 6/11-12/2016 at Memphis (2-0, 5-0).
 
This Week's Preview: The Sky Sox are in the midst of a five-game homestand that began Wednesday, May 30 against the Iowa Cubs. After the five games at home, they will hit the road again for sevens game to take on Pacific Conference teams, the Fresno Grizzlies and Sacramento River Cats.
 
 
NEXT GAME: Friday, June 1 vs. Iowa Cubs - 6:40 p.m. MDT @ Security Service Field
RHP Corbin Burnes (1-3, 4.96) vs. LHP Kyle Ryan (0-0, 0.57) | Broadcast on XTRA Sports 1300
Fireworks Friday (Post-game) - 1980s Sky Sox Tribute Jerseys - Special Appearance by Bernie Williams
 
COS TOP PERFORMERS
·Charlie Meyer (1-for-1, Pinch-Hit Single)
·Tyrone Taylor (1-for-4)
·Dylan Moore (1-for-4, 2B, 1 RBI)
   IOW TOP PERFORMERS
·Mike Freeman (2-for-5, 2 R)
·David Bote (2-for-4, 2B, 2 R, 1 RBI)
·Victor Caratini (2-for-5, 1 R, 2 RBI)