Scoring first has become a trend for the Sky Sox and not really a great one to be honest. Over the last seven games, the Sox have established the lead by scoring first, but they have won just three of those games.

You gotta score early AND late if you want to win theses games and last night, the Sky Sox scored one run in the first and that was all she wrote as El Paso bounced back and took the series finale 4-1 in West Texas.

Ryan Cordell shined for the Sox as his RBI triple brought home a run in the first and he also made two sparkling gems in the field, one in the third another in the fourth. It was looking like Cordell and the Sox’s night halfway through! But…All good things must come to an end and thanks to a Christian Villanueva leadoff solo homer in the fifth, the game was tied.

El Paso plated another pair of runs against Brandon Woodruff in the sixth on a Jabari Blash RBI double and Villanueva single. The fourth and final run came across in the seventh on a Dusty Coleman solo homer against Stephen Kohlscheen. Kohlscheen then hit catcher Rocky Gale with a pitch and was ejected from the game.

Game Story

Hitting Notes – 

The Sky Sox picked up the one run on seven hits, but the big number of the night was 0-for-8. Yes, the Sky Sox went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left nine men on base. Seven different Sky Sox had hits, six of them singles.

Ryan Cordell went 1-for-4 with an RBI triple, the lone run-producing and extra-base hit of the game.

Tyler Heineman reached base twice with a single and a walk.

Kyle Wren, Ivan De Jesus, Nate Orf, Yadiel Rivera, and Gabriel Noriega each picked up singles.

Brett Phillips did not get a hit, but reached base via a walk.

Pitching Notes – 

Brandon Woodruff recorded a losing decision for the second straight start. He logged five and two-third innings and allowed three runs on six hits, did not walk a batter and struck out eight. He threw 90 pitches, 62 of which went for strikes.

Stephen Kohlscheen had a shorter-than-expected outing because of the ejection. He went one-third of an inning and gave up the homer to Coleman.

Andrew Barbosa went a full inning and struck out two.

David Goforth pitched the eighth and gave up a hit while striking out one.

Play of the Game – 

Ryan Cordell’s RBI triple –

Pregame Interview with Dan Karcher and Nate Orf – 

We’re on to Albuquerque…After splitting the season series with the Chihuahuas the Sox head north on I-25 and get ready for the first of four against the Isotopes, the top affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. Here’s the preview…

Colorado Springs Sky Sox (23-13) vs. Albuquerque Isotopes (21-19) – 7:05 p.m.

Game Notes / Listen Live at 6:30 p.m.

LHP Josh Hader (3-2, 4.20) vs. RHP Barry Enright (1-0, 0.00)

Sky Sox Starter: Josh Hader takes his ninth trip to the mound this season and enters 3-2 with a 4.20 ERA. The southpaw is making his fifth road start and first since May 3 against the Dodgers. Away from Security Service Field he is 2-1 with a 5.49 ERA allowing 12 runs on 15 hits in 19 2/3 innings. Last time out he gave up a run on five hits in five frames to the River Cats.  He has faced the twice Redbirds and Omaha, Iowa, Oklahoma City, Nashville, Fresno, and Sacramento once in his seven outings this season. Hader got the opening day nod and earned the win with five innings of one-hit ball. The only downside was that he walked five, but struck out six. The Millersville, Maryland native took on the ‘Topes on August 14, 2016 and was dealt the loss giving up three runs on six hits in six innings of work.

He enters the season rated as the Brewers’ top pitching prospect by both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline. BA labels him as the second prospect in the org behind Lewis Brinson and Pipeline tabs him as the third best prospect behind Brinson and Corey Ray, and the 36th prospect in all of baseball. The lefty will make his 22nd start in a Sky Sox uniform when he climbs the hill tonight at Security Service Field. The 23-year old is in his 6^thprofessional season after originally being selected by the Orioles in the 19^thround of the 2012 draft out of Old Mill High School in Millersville, Maryland. The Astros sent RHP Bud Norris to the Orioles in exchange for Hader in July 2013 and the Brewers acquired him from the ‘Stros in the Jul 30, 2015 deal that sent Carlos Gomez and Mike Fiers to Houston for Hader, Adrian Houser, Brett Phillips, and Domingo Santana. The lefty is 27-26 with five saves and a 3.12 ERA in 123 career outings, 91 of which have been starts in five-plus professional seasons.

Last Time Out – May 14 – No Decision vs. Sacramento

Hader threw five solid innings and limited the River Cats to a run on five hits. He walked two and struck out four on 84 pitches, 52 strikes. The run came on a solo homer off the bat of Jae-Gyun Hwang in the third inning. He has allowed nine homers this season.