Vibes Close in on Playoff Clincher in 13-5 Victory
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Rocky Mountain Vibes | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 13 | 13 | 1 |
|
Grand Junction Jackalopes | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 12 | 0 |
By Tyler Petersen
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.
Power and pitching paced the Rocky Mountain Vibes in their series-opening win over the Jackalopes 13-5.
The win brings the Vibes just two wins away from clinching their first ever playoff berth – they must win two of the remaining five games of the season to do so, all against Grand Junction.
The first of three games on the Western Slope saw the Vibes jump out to an early 3-0 lead in the second, thanks to RBIs from Austin Elder, Elvis Peralta, and Jake McMurray. The Vibes added a run in each of the third and fourth too – on a Jacob Barfield sacrifice fly and an Ethan Lopez home run.
Nico Zeglin put together another great start and had the strikeout working up and down the Jackalopes lineup. His one big blemish on the night was a three-run home run to Joe Johnson, but otherwise, Zeglin walked off the mound after five innings with the lead, allowing just the three runs on six hits and a walk, with nine punch-outs to his name.
A Vibe yet to make his home debut, in the seventh inning Mark Herron Jr. sent out his second Vibes home run (and 12th overall on the season) since joining the team from Idaho Falls. The two-run bomb brought his Rocky Mountain RBI total to nine in just six games.
More insurance for the Vibes can courtesy of the Jackalopes as in the eighth, Grand Junction walked in two runs and allowed another to come in on a hit-by-pitch. Both Peralta and McMurray added more to their RBI total in the ninth via a two-run double and RBI single, respectively.
The Vibes bullpen kept a strong Jackalopes offense in check for the final four innings as five relievers combined to hold bats and baserunners to just six hits, no walks, and one run.
With a "magic number" of now 4 the Vibes need to win two more games against Grand Junction, who are the next closest team to them in the standings. They are now +2.0 games in first place in the Southern Division.
A potential playoff game for the Vibes would be hosted at UCHealth Park on Monday, September 11th at 6:35pm against the Raptors.
But before we get ahead of ourselves, there are two more games in Grand Junction before the Vibes return home for their final homestand of the season September 7, 8, and 9.
