Eighth-Inning Rally Sparks Sox Comeback Win

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO - The Sky Sox salvaged the final game of their four-game set with the Omaha Storm Chasers with a dramatic 2-1 come-from-behind victory before a Monday night crowd of 3,057 at Werner Park.

Sox starter Josh Roenicke gave his squad just what they needed coming off of three straight losses in Omaha, holding the potent Storm Chasers offense to just one run on six hits and two walks over 5.2 innings of work. The lone blemish on the right-hander's evening came in the second when former big league first baseman Casey Kotchman drove home Jose Martinez with a one-out RBI single for the game's first run.

Omaha's 1-0 lead would stand until the eighth as righty Yohan Pino held the Sox offense scoreless through 6.2 innings of work, allowing just three hits and a walk while striking out five in an excellent performance.

Michael Kirkman (3-1, 3.18) and Rob Wooten (H, 4) kept Omaha off the board for 2.1 perfect frames in relief of Roenicke to keep Colorado Springs within a run of tying it up late.

Reliever Casey Coleman (2-3, 4.42) got the final out of the seventh before coming back out for the top of the eighth. After being held to just three hits through seven, the Sox offense broke out against the Storm Chasers right-hander to double their hit total in the eighth. Yadiel Rivera led off the frame with a base knock before coming around to score the equalizer on a one-out Elian Herrera RBI single. Logan Schafer followed with a fly out to center, bringing Jason Rogers to the plate in a pivotal, two-out situation. The slugging first baseman doubled on a ball that got by left fielder Brett Eibner, plating Herrera with the go-ahead run. Rogers would be thrown out at third trying to stretch the knock to a triple, ending the inning with Colorado Springs now leading 2-1.

After an uneventful inning of play, Omaha came to the plate in the ninth looking to, at the very least, send the game extras. Jaye Chapman would close the door however, walking just one batter in a scoreless effort to lock down the exciting 2-1 victory for the Sox. Chapman's eighth save of the season helped the Sox improve to 41-59 in 2015 as Omaha fell to 58-45.

After sweeping them in their last visit, the Sox travel to New Orleans to take on the Zephyrs in the first of a four-game set on Tuesday. Hiram Burgos (2-2, 3.66) will look to make it two-in-a-row for Colorado Springs as he matches up against top Marlins prospect Adam Conley (8-3, 2.58) with first pitch set for 5:00 PM MDT at Zephyr Field.