By Andrew Della Piana

Watch the highlights here: Highlights

DAVIS, C.A. - The first series of the 2024 Rocky Mountain Vibes was anything but average. With a traditional six-game series between the Vibes and Yolo High Wheelers scheduled from Tuesday to Sunday, a Tuesday game was extended into Wednesday, with no games on Thursday and Saturday, and a doubleheader on Sunday. 

Despite the postponements due to light delays at Dobbins Stadium, Rocky Mountain defeated Yolo 10-7 and 7-5 on Saturday, moving to 2-1 on the season.

Game 1

As the Vibes trailed 7-4 going into the sixth inning of a seven-inning game, things appeared bleak. However, a hit parade wiped out that three-run deficit by scoring six times to secure the team's first victory of the year.

Josh Day started the rally with a single off the first pitch which led to the first six Vibes getting on base. With the bases loaded, Brett Carson's two-run single knotted the game after one run was already scored. Rocky Mountain took the lead for good when Eddie McCabe reached on an E6 made by shortstop Braylin Marine. Steven Rivas added some insurance with a two-run single of his own to cap off the frame.

Left-handed pitcher Bryson Spagnuolo came in for the final six outs and recorded the save in his professional debut.

Game 2

It's no secret that home runs are fun to watch, and that was the key to the Vibes' 7-5 win in game two on Sunday afternoon.

Dane Tofteland, a 2023 Pioneer League Champion, hit the first home run of the 2024 season in the second inning to start the party. He crushed a 2-1 pitch to left center field, putting the Vibes on the board. Two batters later, Stephen Wilmer hit a two-run long ball to extend the lead to 4-0 into the final four innings.

Fast forward to the seventh inning, the High Wheelers cut the game to 5-4, but Mason Sykes responded with a 450-foot moonshot to left at 109 mph, his first professional home run. Sykes is no stranger to the long ball; during his junior season at Toledo in 2022, he blasted 16 home runs, breaking the program's single-season home run record.

Spagnuolo earned another save despite throwing 29 pitches in game one, just a few hours after his first professional save.

Rocky Mountain begins a series against the Oakland Ballers on Tuesday, with Opening Night at UCHealth Park beginning at 6:35.

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