Season High in Strikeouts Stifles Owlz in Monday's Loss

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. -- The Owlz struck out 18 times and surrendered 17 hits, falling for the fourth-straight time to their intrastate enemy.

The Rockies (23-7) regularly run up the K count against NoCo (11-19), but Monday's 11-4 finish marked the most they've thrown all season. 

Or anyone else for that matter. Eighteen strikeouts is a new NoCo season high. It's the 10^th time this year the Rockies have rung up 12 or more Owlz in a game. All other opposing staffs have struck out 12-plus nine times collectively.

On top of that, Grand Junction's now outscored the Owlz by more than 40 runs across their last seven meetings: 79 runs for the Rockies, 33 for the Owlz.

The Owlz only win in that stretch came courtesy of a pitcher in the middle of his best stretch of the season.

Preston Snavely (L, 2-3) threw three-straight quality starts, including that win vs. Grand Junction on August 11. He earned his first two wins of the year in back-to-back starts. He pitched five or more innings six starts in a row.

But on Monday, the surging Snavely hit a snag.

The Rockies hit him consistently. Ten times, to be exact, the most Snavely's allowed in a game this season. Same with the 10 earned runs. He hadn't allowed more than five earned runs in a game entering Monday's matchup.

Grand Junction jumped on him immediately, mashing a how-do-you-do homer. Jake Cruce crushed it in his first at-bat against the Owlz this season. He homered the next inning off Snavely too, two of his four hits on the day. The slugger supplied five of his team's 11 RBI too.

Snavely conceded three runs in that first inning. NoCo countered with an RBI single by Cameron Phelts.

Cruce cracked that solo shot in the second. The Owlz offered their own homer in response. Brandon Crosby found the seats with his seventh slam of the season, scoring Tim Bouchard with the two-run round tripper.

After three and a half, these familiar foes found themselves in a 4-3 fight. Then the Rockies went Rocky, delivering a bunch of body blows in bottom four.

The Rockies brought 12 batters to the plate in that inning. Seven of them thumped a hit and six of them scored, plating plenty of insurance runs.

NoCo knocked in another with Matthew Turner's run-scoring double. After that, the Rockies retired the Owlz final 13 batters.

The birds batted 12 times with runners in scoring position. They tallied two hits in those instances.

They went 4-for-16 with any runners on base.  

Phelts and Bouchard both registered two hits. Phelts also swiped a bag, keeping pace with the league lead in stolen bases. His 37 this season is tied for tops in the Pioneer League right now.

Tyler Fischer flashed in his second relief appearance wearing NoCo colors. After allowing four earned runs and recording two outs in his first one, Fischer fanned five of the 11 batters he faced on Monday. A mighty fine middle relief effort from Fischer.

Hopefully more "mighty fine" moments to come in Tuesday's tussle. Game two of this snappy three-game set is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. from Suplizio Field.