Vibes Stage Comeback, but KO’d in Knockout Round
By Tyler Petersen
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Rocky Mountain Vibes erased a six-run deficit Friday night but lost in their first Knockout Round of the season. The Grand Junction Rockies won the 10-10 game with a dominant performance by Caleb Farmer in the postgame contest, beating Ulysses Cantu 5-0 in the first round.
The actual baseball game itself was a slugfest in its own right. For the fourth straight night, the Rockies got on the board first with runs in the first inning, scoring three off Yohandry Perez. The Vibes had a response though, with three runs of their own in the bottom of the frame, a two-run double by Domonique Hernandez and an RBI single by Luis Navarro accounting for the scoring.
The Rockies attack continued after that, scoring seven more runs in three of the next four innings. Casey Petersen was responsible for driving in five runs and both Nico Popa and Charles Middleton brought in two of the 10 total they would score in the game. The top four in the Grand Junction lineup had 13 hits in 21 at-bats.
Starting in the fourth though was the beginning of a slow, somewhat flatulent, but assuredly steady comeback:
B4 – Solo HR by Ethan Lopez, 8-4
B5 – Mike Annone RBI double, Hernandez RBI single, 10-6
B6 – Cantu RBI double, 10-7
B7 – Lopez RBI single, 10-8
B8 the breakthrough was nearly complete. With two outs and a runner at second, Cantu came through again with another RBI double trimming the deficit to only one. Then Annone finished what was started hours earlier, shooting a single to center to score Cantu.
In the anatomy of a comeback, an equal burden is placed on the Vibes pitching staff to prevent any further scoring as much as it is placed on the hitters to generate runs. The bullpen did just that. Nathan Draves, Armando Valle, and Miguel Pozo pitched the final 4.1 innings allowing just four hits and striking out 10 Rockies. They didn't allow a single run.
After a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth, the game was then placed in the hands of Farmer and Cantu. The Rockies, who were 3-1 in KO Rounds coming into today, went first and had probably the best ever showing in Pioneer League history. Farmer hit five out of the park, including three on three straight pitches at one point. It was a tall task for Cantu who unfortunately could not match the performance.
The series is now tied up 2-2 with tomorrow's game a chance for both teams to gain the upper hand before Sunday's final game of the week.
