Sky Sox Defeat Sounds In Twinbill Opener, 6-2

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The Colorado Springs Sky Sox snapped a seven-game skid by hanging a 6-2 loss on the Nashville Sounds in the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at Security Service Field.

Colorado Springs right-hander Chris Volstad (6-4) worked a seven-inning complete game to earn his first victory since June. The veteran authored a quality start, holding the Sounds to two runs on seven hits in his seven frames, and helped his own cause with a go-ahead RBI single in the contest.

Shortstop Blake Davis went 3-for-3 for Nashville in the contest.

The Sky Sox jumped out to a 2-0 lead against PCL ERA leader Johnny Hellweg in the bottom of the second inning.

After Ryan Wheeler led off the frame by scorching a double to the center field wall, Jordan Pacheco sliced an RBI triple down the first base line into the right field corner to plate the afternoon's first run. Ben Paulsen (3-for-3) followed with a run-scoring bloop single to shallow center that doubled the home team's lead.

Kent Matthes followed with a double to put runners on second and third with still no outs, but Hellweg escaped the frame without further damage by striking out former Sound Hernan Iribarren then inducing a comebacker pop-up double play from Volstad on a botched suicide squeeze bunt attempt.

Nashville evened the contest at 2-2 in the top of the third with a pair of runs against Volstad. Josh Prince drew an inning-opening walk and moved to second on a Blake Davis single before both runners were moved up a base on a Hellweg sacrifice bunt. Kentrail Davis followed with a run-scoring groundout before red-hot Eugenio Velez extended his hitting streak to seven games with a game-tying double into the left field corner. The infielder is hitting .440 (11-for-25) during his hit streak.

Volstad helped his own cause in the fourth, putting the Sky Sox back in front with a two-out RBI single through the right side of the infield against Hellweg. Paulsen scored on the knock after reaching on a one-out single during the frame. Colorado Springs extended its lead to 4-2 when Tim Wheeler followed with a bloop RBI single to left.

The Sky Sox continued to add to the lead in the fifth, plating two more runs against Hellweg to make it a 6-2 contest. Paulsen contributed his second RBI single of the day before the Nashville right-hander misfired to first on a pickoff attempt to allow the second run of the frame to score in unearned fashion.

Hellweg (10-5) took his first Triple-A loss in 13 outings, dating back to May 5th, after being touched for a season high-tying six runs on a season-high 10 hits in his five frames of action. His league-leading ERA jumped from 2.44 to 2.75 following the outing.