Cravy, Four-Run Second Power Sky Sox In 6-4 Win

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO - Sky Sox starter Tyler Cravy did it all on Tuesday night in Memphis, leading his team to a 6-4 win over the Redbirds with his right arm and his bat in front of 2,361 fans at AutoZone Park.

Cravy (2-3, 4.18) tossed six extremely strong innings of three hit, one-run baseball and though he walked five Redbirds batters, he struck out seven of them to limit damage. Tuesday marked the third consecutive start in which Cravy has pitched six innings (fourth overall) and it was by far his most impressive of the 2015 season.

The right-hander would not only electrify on the mound, but would strike opponents in an unexpected fashion in the top of the second inning. With his team already leading 3-0 on the strength of a Matt Clark solo shot, a Ben Guez RBI double to score Nevin Ashley and Donnie Murphy RBI groundout, Cravy would come to the plate with two outs. He would drill the first pitch he saw from Cardinals starter Tim Cooney (2-2, 4.44) over the left field wall for his first career professional home run, extending Colorado Springs early lead to 4-0.

The home run gave Cravy his first career RBI and was just his second hit recorded in six minor league seasons. His last came in 2014 while a member of the Double-A Huntsville Stars.

The Sky Sox offense put another run on the scoreboard in the very next inning as Nevin Ashley's two-out RBI double to left-centerfield plated Pete Orr who lead off the frame with a walk.

Cravy would make his lone mistake in the home fourth, serving up Redbirds leftfielder Xavier Scruggs' sixth long ball of the young season. The solo cut the Memphis deficit to four after four innings. Trailing by four would become a theme for Memphis as the Sky Sox held four-run leads three separate times through the course of the ballgame.

Ariel Peńa would take over on the mound after Cravy's pitch count reached 102 pitches, forcing him from the game. Peńa allowed one run on two hits while striking out one in his lone inning of work.

Colorado Springs would get the run back in the top half of the eighth off of Redbirds reliever Tyler Waldron on Bryan Petersen's two-out double and a clutch RBI single by the hot-hitting Donnie Murphy. Cooney would go seven innings and pitch well outside of the rocky four-run second, allowing five total runs on seven hits and a walk.

Memphis would make their final push at a comeback in the home eighth, scoring two runs on consecutive doubles and a wild pitch with Brandon Kintzler having taken over to start the frame for the Sox. Kintzler would work out of further trouble and send the Sox into the ninth with a slightly slimmer 6-4 lead.

The Sky Sox would go down quietly to start the ninth before Corey Knebel took the mound in a save situation in the bottom of the inning. Knebel would nail down the win, walking a batter while striking out two to earn his fourth save of the season and give his team a 6-4 victory.

The win improves Colorado Springs to a 9-16 record, identical to that of the Redbirds through 25 games played.

The Sky Sox will look to build on the win on Wednesday evening in game three of this four-game set in Memphis. Coming off his best start of 2015, Taylor Jungmann (1-1, 8.74) gets the call for the Sox as he is set to face off with Redbirds lefty John Gast (1-2, 6.75) with first pitch set for 6:05 PM MDT at AutoZone Park.