Owlz Find Five Runs in the First and a Fifth-Straight Win

GREELEY, Colo. -- Sunday's scuffle served as a microcosm of the Owlz entire series: solid starting pitching, early-game go-ahead runs, and a win.

It was a nail-biter into the ninth, but once the Owlz (5-5) outlasted Rocky Mountain (1-10), they ended up with their fifth consecutive win.

Will Buraconak made his first start since 2019 on Sunday, serving up four strikeouts across four innings of work. He did allow a first-inning run, but then again, so have the last four NoCo starters. Rocky Mountain's Gio Diaz dropped in a leadoff single and ended up scoring for the fourth straight game.

But NoCo nullified that 1-0 Vibes lead immediately, finding five first inning runs to give them a lead they'd never give up. 

Alex Jackson led the team in hits entering Sunday, and the base knock he barreled to begin the Owlz day on offense gave him a baker's dozen on the season. Then, Euro Diaz walked before Brian Dansereau's dinger drove home all three of them. Kevin Higgins' fourth RBI in the last two games scored Ty Lewis, who chipped in a single earlier. Zach West whacked a single of his own for the second baseman's first RBI this season, scoring Marshall Rich in the process.

Jackson also swatted a single in the third that drove home the Owlz sixth run. From that point on, though, the Vibes chipped away.

Buraconak allowed one more earned run in the third on a Dominique Hernandez RBI double. Christian Griffin (W, 1-0) replaced him in the fifth, striking out four batters in two innings. The one unearned run he surrendered made it a 6-3 game. 

When Joe Nicolace made his NoCo debut in the seventh inning, this contest got tighter. Rocky Mountain scored one off Nicolace directly and threatened another by loading the bases. That's when Chase Wilkerson spelled him. Wilkerson walked Ulysses Cantu, that run attributed to Nicolace, and it shrunk his team's lead to 6-5. 

Then, Wilkerson worked a tailor-made double play ball to end Rocky Mountain's momentum in the seventh. And actually an inning later, with the sacks packed again, he did the exact same thing, inducing deja vu with another 4-6-3 double play to kill the Vibes' vibe in the eighth. 

When Diaz drilled a double that scored Cameron Phelts, he effectively drove a dagger into this one. Chance Benton (S, 1) made sure of it, coming on for his third appearance this series and allowing just one hit in his inning on the hill. 

Dansereau has been King of the Hill as far as the Owlz offense is concerned. By dialing long distance in the first, he's etched an extra-base hit in every game this series, and he's now drove in at least one RBI in each of his last six games.

It helps that Dansereau's surrounded by big-swingers, especially right there at the top of the order. From his leadoff spot, Jackson's jerked a team-high 14 hits this season, and after Sunday, he holds a seven-game hit streak. Diaz does too, actually, giving them a joint-lead for longest active hitting streak on the team.

When Monday rolls around, keep an eye on not only those streaks, but on a potential sweep. NoCo goes for six-straight on Monday. First pitch from Jackson Field is scheduled for 4:05 p.m.