After a walk-off loss Saturday, the Colorado Springs Sky Sox hit six home runs and received a quality outing from Angel Ventura to shut out the Omaha Storm Chasers, 11-0, in front of 7,272 at Werner Park Sunday night.
After a walk-off loss Saturday, the Colorado Springs Sky Sox hit six home runs and received a quality outing from Angel Ventura to shut out the Omaha Storm Chasers, 11-0, in front of 7,272 at Werner Park Sunday night.
After allowing six earned runs in the first game of the June 27 doubleheader against Omaha, Ventura (3-1, 3.68) bounced back with a dominant 7 1/3-inning performance in his second career outing against the Storm Chasers. The right-hander scattered five hits and struck out a pair of batters and retired 12 of the final 14 batters he faced before giving way to Stephen Kohlscheen to complete the seventh Sky Sox shutout of the season.
Colorado Springs (50-31) jumped on top with a run in the first inning to take an early lead. Mauricio Dubón led off with a walk and Ivan De Jesus doubled him over to third, setting the table for Garrett Cooper. The first baseman popped out to Ryan O'Hearn in foul territory, but the over-the-shoulder catch was deep enough to score Dubon and give Cooper his 71st RBI of the season.
Andrew Susac doubled the Sox lead with a solo home run onto the left field concourse. The sixth home run of 2017 for the catcher was also his third in a week against Storm Chasers pitching and second against starter Christian Binford. Entering Sunday night, Susac posted a .333 average in his past 10 games (9-for-27) with two homers, five runs and eight RBI.
Nate Orf added to the lead, clubbing a two-run home run to the left field berm to extend the Sox lead to 4-0. Orf has hit two home runs in 2017, both which coming against Omaha after hitting his first long ball of the season June 26 at Security Service Field.
The home run barrage continued during the five-run sixth inning. Jett Bandy hit a solo shot to left field for his second home run as a member of the Sky Sox to give the visitors a 5-0 lead. Orf then launched his second two-run long ball of the night to left field , scoring Susac and setting a new career high for home runs in a season with his third home run of 2017.
Lewis Brinson completed the inning with a two-run shot of his own, driving in Kyle Wren on his ninth home run of the season. The centerfielder recorded his fourth three-RBI night in a week with a triple to right field in the eighth inning, scoring Wren for the second time.
Brett Phillips added a sixth home run for the Sox in the ninth inning, hitting his 14th home run of the season to right field off Brayan Peña. The Sox tied the franchise record for most home runs hit in a road game, equaling the six long balls hit by the Sox on June 28, 1993 in Albuquerque.
RHP Michael Blazek (2-2, 3.13) is scheduled to take the mound in the series finale Monday night at 6:05 p.m. MT, with the Sox aiming for a series win against Omaha RHP Josh Staumont (3-8, 6.11).
