SKY SOX WALK-OFF ON DODGERS IN WILD FASHION

POSTGAME NOTES
Saturday, May 12, 2018 vs. Oklahoma City Dodgers
Colorado Springs Sky Sox (22-13) | Oklahoma City Dodgers (24-10)
SKY SOX WALK-OFF ON DODGERS IN WILD FASHION
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The Sky Sox won in walk-off fashion over the Oklahoma City Dodgers Saturday night at Security Service Field after two wild pitches in the ninth inning gave Colorado Springs the 2-1 game one victory.
After a scoreless four innings in the Saturday night pitching duel, the Sky Sox found a way to break the rhythm entering the fifth frame. Leadoff Gabriel Noriega sparked the half with the Sky Sox fifth hit of the contest while reliever Tim Dillard placed him into scoring position with his first at-bat of 2018 and first sacrifice at the plate since 2014 while with Double-A Huntsville. Nate Orf, who just ended his 20-game hitting streak in last night's final game against Nashville, restarted with an RBI single to bring Noriega around and make it a 1-0 Colorado Springs advantage.
In the eighth, the Dodgers broke the Sky Sox 1-0 lead after pinch hitter Kyle Garlick slugged the fifth hit for Oklahoma City - a solo home run to right-center field - to tie it up.
In a 1-1 game heading into the bottom of the ninth, Tyrone Taylor drew the Sky Sox second walk of the night to represent the winning run. Dodgers' reliever Ariel Hernández, who was traded to the Dodgers by the Cincinnati Reds on April 17, surrendered a wild pitch that was sent to the backstop, allowing Taylor to stretch all the way to third base with one out. With Noriega at the plate, another wild pitch by Hernandez would send home the winning run to end the Sky Sox night in winning fashion.
The Sky Sox combined for four pitchers after scheduled starter Freddy Peralta was scratched prior to game one. Tristan Archer started the contest with three perfect innings on short notice (0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K). Tim Dillard added two innings of his own, surrendering just two hits but not allowing a run. Southpaw Mike Zagurski allowed the Dodgers' only run of the night in way of a home run in the eighth inning while Radhames Liz shut down Oklahoma City with one and one-third innings of one-hit shutout ball.
The Sky Sox continue into game two of the four-game series against the Oklahoma City Dodgers at Security Service Field tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. Following the four games against the Dodgers, the Sky Sox will welcome to town the Memphis Redbirds, top affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. 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 Expectation: In the second game of both the homestand and the four-game series against the Oklahoma City Dodgers, the Sky Sox are sending righty Aaron Wilkerson to the mound to face right-hander Guillermo Moscoso for the Dodgers.
That Was Wild: The Sky Sox 2-1 victory over the Dodgers in game one marked just the second walk-off win for Colorado Springs in the 2018 season. The win came by way of two wild pitches by Ariel Hernandez, who surrendered a two-base wild pitch and then a game-ending wild pitch. The last walk-off for the Sky Sox came at home on April 12 when Jacob Nottingham delivered a game-winning base hit to give the Sky Sox the 7-6 victory.
Orf Stays Hot: Despite ending a 20-game streak after going hitless in last night's final game in Nashville, infielder Nate Orf continued his hitting ways in game one back at Security Service Field, going 1-for-4 on the night with his RBI single. Over 11 games in May, he is batting .396 (19-for-48) with five doubles and five RBI.
Tied After Eight: The Sky Sox marked their first win of the season when tied after eight innings. On the other ends of things, Colorado Springs is 17-1 when leading after eight innings and 0-10 when trailing after eight innings.
Dillard's Doing: Veteran reliever Tim Dillard recorded his first sacrifice at the plate since his time in Double-A Huntsville in 2014 to move Gabriel Noriega into scoring position. After his doing, Nate Orf followed with a base hit to score Noriega to make it a 1-0 Sky Sox lead in the bottom of the fifth.
Just A Bit Inside: With the hit batsmen by Tim Dillard on Saturday night, he has tied Jason Young for first place in career-hit batsmen with Sky Sox, sitting at 25 total. Jason Young pitched for the Sky Sox from 2002 to 2005.
Battle of the American North: The fight is on as the two top teams in the Pacific Coast League American North duke it out. The Sky Sox (22-13) currently trail the Dodgers (24-10) by two-and-a-half games after delivering them their 10th loss of 2018 Saturday night at Security Service Field. Last season, the Sky Sox finished on top of the conference over the Dodgers with a 10-game lead (80-57 record).
Scoring First: The Sky Sox now improve to a 15-5 record when striking first on the board in a game. Colorado Springs also improves to 3-4 on Saturday games and 9-6 in the American North.
May So Far: Over 12 games in May, the Sky Sox are 5-5 overall. Collectively, the team holds a batting average of .273 (108-for-395) with 17 doubles, two triples, and eight home runs, 36 walks, and 15 stolen bases.
Staff Day: After scheduled starter Freddy Peralta was scratched prior to game one of the series with Oklahoma City, manager Rick Sweet called a staff day, combining the use of four arms. Tristan Archer, Tim Dillard, Mike Zagurski, and Radhames Liz (@, 4-2) combined for nine innings of seven-hit, one-run ball.
That's A First: The mighty four-run seventh inning in Wednesday night's contest in Nashville marked the first win for Colorado Springs when trailing after six innings. Coming into the night, the Sky Sox held a 0-5 team record when behind in the score through six frames. The Sky Sox continued the momentum when leading after seven and eight innings, holding 20-2 (lead after 7) and 17-1 (lead after 8) records, respectively.
This Week's Preview: The Sky Sox are in midst of an eight-game, nine-day homestand that will see them host the Dodgers for four games followed by the Memphis Redbirds for four games, with a day of rest in between series.
NEXT GAME: Sunday, May 13 vs. Oklahoma City Dodgers - 1:30 p.m. MDT @ Security Service Field
RHP Aaron Wilkerson (5-1, 3.63) vs. RHP Guillermo Moscoso (1-1, 3.81) | Broadcast on XTRA Sports 1300
MOTHER'S DAY - Brushes and Baseball Event
   COS TOP PERFORMERS

• Christian Bethancourt (2-for-3)
• Nate Orf (1-for-4, RBI)
• Tristan Archer (3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K)

   OKC TOP PERFORMERS

• Kyle Garlick (1-for-1 (PH), HR, RBI)
• Tyler Pill (6.0 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K)
• Travis Taijeron (1-for-3, BB)