Playoff Hopes Dim as Vibes Lose Series

By Tyler Petersen

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The Rocky Mountain Vibes were dealt what could be prove to be a season-deciding 10-5 loss to the Grand Junction Rockies on Sunday evening.

After a promising win to start the series, the Vibes dropped the final four games of a rain-shortened series. The remaining game will be made up during the final trip to Grand Junction in September.

Following the wrong side of a sweep in yesterday's double-header, it was imperative to come out of the series with a win on the final day. The Vibes had a good start to that goal with who else this series but Andrew Hanson who homered in the first inning, his third of the year and second this week to put Rocky Mountain up 2-0.

Joe Harris had a quick bottom of the first but allowed a run in the second which brought the game to 2-1.

Then things got messy in the bottom of the third.

Still tied, a total of eight runs came in on eight hits and an error, giving the Rockies a major early lead at 9-2. Dutch Landis came in and got the final out of the inning in relief of Harris. In total, six of the nine runs Harris allowed were earned.

This was a lead the Rockies would not see slip away like previous games in the series.

The Vibes were able to get a few back on Grand Junction, including solo home runs by Ulises Nunez and Andrew Hanson.

For Nunez, it was his first Pioneer League home run. For Hanson, it was his first professional multi-home run game and the Vibes fifth such game by a player this season.

Chris Allen had the best pitching performance of the day for the Vibes, throwing three hitless innings while striking out three.

Rocky Mountain is now a bleak nine and a half games back of the Rockies for first place, all but ending their hopes for a playoff berth. Sure, they still are mathematically alive for the playoffs with 19 games to go but in reality, it's not looking so great, to put it lightly.

The Vibes finally come home after 16 days on the road to play the Ogden Raptors starting on Tuesday for six games. It's the first time this season Ogden makes the trip to UCHealth Park.