Vibes Overcome Early Deficit for Second Straight Victory

Colorado Springs, COLORADO - After an early five run deficit, the Rocky Mountain Vibes came from behind Saturday night at UCHealth Park to down the Orem Owlz in the series finale, 7-5. Antonio Piñero highlighted the Vibes offense with a 3-for-4 night including a two RBI double in the fifth inning rally. Vibes relievers Steve Pastora and Jackson Sigman closed out the night, combining for five scoreless innings on two hits and six strikeouts.
The Owlz got out to an early lead scoring four runs in the first two innings. Owlz' Will Wilson provided all of the offense on his two swings. In the top of the first, a two-run blast over the center field wall provided the early lead. Wilson would add on with a two-RBI double in the second. The Owlz would add another run in the top of the fourth, leaving the Vibes trailing 5-0.
The Vibes first hit and run of the night would come in the bottom of the fourth on a leadoff home run by Ernesto Martinez. His third home run of the season traveled an estimated 448 feet over the center field wall.
The Vibes offense came alive in the fifth to rally and score four runs. Three consecutive runners reached to start the inning, leaving the bases loaded with nobody out. After a Martinez pop out, Antonio Piñero cut into the four-run deficit with a two-RBI single. With the help of two wild pitches by Orem, the Vibes tied it up at five after five frames.
After a scoreless sixth inning, the Vibes would break the tie in the bottom of the seventh. Nick Egnatuk led off the inning with a triple to dead center on a ball lost in the lights. Piñero brought him home two batters later on a sharp groundball to third, collecting his third RBI on the night.
The offense would tac on insurance in the eighth with an RBI single by catcher José Sibrian.
Vibes reliever Steve Pastora notched the victory, his first of the season. In three innings of work, Pastora allowed no runs on one hit and struck out two. Jackson Sigman followed to earned his second save of the season with the six-out save. In his two innings, Sigman allowed no runs on one hit and struck out four Orem batters.
The Rocky Mountain Vibes continue their opening homestand as they welcome the Grand Junction Rockies back to town for a two-game series set to start tomorrow, with first pitch slated for 4:00 p.m. The game will be available on MiLB.TV as well as on the MiLB TuneIn app. For all information on the Vibes, follow along on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at @vibesbaseball and visit the team's website at www.vibesbaseball.com.
__NOTES__
Tomorrow's Preview: The Vibes continue their 10-game homestand with the first game of a two-game series against the Grand Junction Rockies. The Vibes starter has yet to be announced while he is set to face Rockies right-hander Mitchell Kilkenny (0-0, 0.00). First pitch is set for 4:00 p.m.
Nash-ty: Vibes' starter Nash Walters has gotten off to a dominant start in the 2019 season. In three starts, including a start against the Orem Owlz Friday night, Walters has maintained a 1.32 ERA in 13 2/3 innings pitched with just seven hits allowed and 16 strikeouts. His .146 batting average against and 1.32 ERA ranks first and second, respectively, in Pioneer League leaders.
It's a Walk-Off!: The Vibes collected the first home victory, first come-from-behind victory, and first walk-off in team history at UCHealth Park on Friday night over the Orem Owlz. After being down 4-1 going into the eighth inning, the Vibes scored three runs in the top of the eighth to tie the game before Antonio Piñero hit a two-out, walk-off double in the bottom of the ninth to deliver a 5-4 victory and the Vibes' first-ever home win at UCHealth Park.
Leading the League: The Vibes issued eight walks in the series opener against Orem on Thursday night, increasing their total on the season to 99, which leads the entire Pioneer League. The staff immediately behind them in the Pioneer League in bases on balls issued is Orem, who issued none on Thursday evening with their total remaining at 73.
Offense on Display: From 1988 to 2018, there were exactly 100 games at UCHealth Park where both teams scored 10 runs or more in a game, with Tuesday night marking #101 and the first of the Vibes era with the 11-10 loss to Ogden.
MONSTER Inning: The last time a Colorado Springs team scored nine runs or more in the bottom of the sixth inning prior to Tuesday night-when the Vibes scored nine runs-was 6/11/2013 when the Sky Sox were playing the Salt Lake Bees and the Sky Sox scored 10 runs in that frame, with the Sky Sox winning that game 15-9.
Vibes Ejections: In the sixth inning Tuesday night, Vibes manager Néstor Corredor was ejected for arguing an out call at home plate, becoming the first member of the Vibes to ever be ejected. In Wednesday's contest versus Ogden, third-base coach Nick Rickles was ejected in the third inning over arguing a fair/foul call down the left-field line. 
Opening Weekend Recap: The opening weekend for the Vibes didn't go according to plan. In a three-game series with the Grand Junction Rockies, the Vibes were dealt their first series sweep of the season. The offense cooled off dramatically, hitting just .224 with an on-base percentage of .290 as a unit in the series. As a staff, they compiled an ERA of 6.33 with 31 strikeouts in 27 innings. Their troubles on the mound stemmed from 23 base on balls in the series and a 1.81 staff WHIP.
Fun fact: On Saturday, Miami Marlins (and former Sky Sox) catcher Wilkin Castillo got his first hit and RBI in the majors since June 20th, 2009 (ten years and two days), in the Marlins' 5-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. Back in 2009, while with the Cincinnati Reds, Castillo suffered a season-ending torn right labrum in a game against the Chicago White Sox, and had not made it back to the majors until Saturday. Castillo's long trek back to the Majors included Triple-A stops in Louisville, Gwinnett, Colorado Springs, Indianapolis, Buffalo, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and New Orleans, along with several stints in Double-A, the Mexican League, and independent baseball with the Long Island Ducks. Castillo played in 74 games with the Sky Sox in the 2012 season, under the Rockies affiliation, batting .253, with four HR and 34 RBI.
This Week's Preview: The Vibes finish up their 10-game homestand with a two-game series against the Grand Junction Rockies set to start on Sunday. On July 2^nd, the Vibes head out to Grand Junction for the start of a seven-game road trip including a two-game series against the Rockies and a five-game set against the Ogden Raptors.
NEXT GAME: Sunday, June 30 @ 4:00 p.m. MT vs. Grand Junction Rockies @ UCHealth Park
RHP Mitchell Kilkenny (0-0, 0.00) vs. TBD - Broadcast: MiLB TuneIn app
PROMOTION: Fleece Blanket Giveaway presented by U.S. Forest Service, Bark in the Park presented by Pet Pantry, 50 Cent Hot Dogs presented by Parker St. Claire Realty, and YMCA Kid's Club - Run the Bases
RMV TOP PERFORMERS
    Antonio Piñero (3-for-4, 2B, 3 RBI
      Steve Pastora (W, 3.0 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 2 SO)
    Jackson Sigman (S, 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 SO)
  
ORM TOP PERFORMERS
    Will Wilson (2-for-4, HR, 2B, 4 RBI, BB, R)
      D'Shawn Knowles (2-for-4, 2B, 2 R, BB)
    Kevin Arias (2-for-4, RBI)