Sox's Koshansky hits for the cycle
Koshansky became the fourth player in team history to hit for the cycle as the Colorado Springs Sky Sox cruised to an 11-4 victory over the Tacoma Rainiers at Security Service Field.
The former sixth-round Draft pick hit an RBI single in the first inning, doubled in the fifth and launched a two-run homer, his ninth, in the sixth before stepping to the plate in the bottom of the eighth.
"Going into my last at-bat, I knew I still needed a triple. I hadn't had one this year and only had two last year, so I didn't think it would happen," Koshansky said.
After Chris Frey walked and Christian Colonel hit a one-out RBI double, the 25-year-old first baseman golfed a run-scoring triple off the right-center field fence. Seth Smith, who was called up by the Rockies earlier Saturday, was the last Sky Sox to hit for the cycle when he did it last Aug. 17.
"I never had a cycle before, so this was a total surprise," said Koshansky, who raised his batting average to .293 and has 41 RBIs in 45 games this season.
Koshansky batted .295 with 21 homers and 99 RBIs last season for Colorado Springs and made his Major League debut in a pinch-hitting appearance for the Rockies on Sept. 1 at Coors Field. His first big league hit was a pinch RBI double against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sept. 18. In 17 games with Colorado, he went 1-for-12 with two walks and two RBIs.
Colonel hit three doubles and scored four times, Edwin Bellorin went 3-for-5 with three RBIs and Sean Barker chipped in two hits, two RBIs and two runs scored for Colorado Springs (23-25).
Sky Sox starter John Koronka (5-1) allowed four runs -- three earned -- on eight hits and three walks with one strikeout in six innings.
Rainiers starter Robert Rohrbaugh (3-4) also pitched six innings and was roughed up for six runs -- five earned -- on nine hits and two walks while fanning four.
Charlton Jimerson hit a solo homer, his fifth, and Jeff Clement went 2-for-5 with an RBI double for Tacoma (23-25).
Steve Conley is a contributor to MLB.com.