Resilient Rocky Mountain Tops Billings 11-7

By Tyler Petersen

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Twice the Vibes were down multiple runs during tonight's ballgame and twice the Vibes came back to beat the Mustangs on Sunday night.

The first few innings started out the way many have in this series – scoreless. The Pioneer League's colloquial double-digit scoring has not applied to this series against Billings the last few nights, and this game was headed that same way.

A 1-0 game until the top of the fourth, the Mustangs struck for three runs, two earned runs off of Greyson Fletcher. It was the only rough spot for Fletcher who did not take a decision in the contest. He went 5.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K.

The answer to the Mustangs' three runs came right away. With runners on second and third, Luis Navarro laced a double into right-center to tie the game at 3-3. The next batter, Josh Glenn brought in Navarro with an RBI single. The Vibes had the lead back, 4-3.

But Billings struck again. A leadoff home run the seventh by Jordan Hovey knotted the game at four apiece. They would add two more on a two-run pinch-hit single by Jalen Garcia. 6-4 Mustangs.

Once again the Vibes trailed, once again by two runs.

But once again an immediate answer arrived. Glenn and Gio Diaz both reached base to begin the bottom of the seventh and were bunted over to second and third by Cesar Lopez. Ulysses Cantu drove in Glenn on an RBI groundout and brought the deficit to one run. After an Ethan Lopez walk, Mike Annone shot a ball over the head and just over the glove of Jalen Garcia in -centerfield, bringing both runners in on a double and giving the Vibes a 7-6 lead. A batter later, Domonique Hernandez knocked in Annone and it was 8-6 going into the eighth.

Rocky Mountain added three insurance runs in the following inning, with two runs coming off Cantu's sixth home run of the season.

"There's never a time where we think we're out of the game, that's just the way this team is," Cantu said after the game. "Vibes are hot"

The win went to Seth Davis who got the six outs of the seventh and eighth innings. It is his second win of the year.

Tomorrow the Vibes go for the series split with the Mustangs in the final and sixth game. The team has not yet lost a series since the mid-June changes.

A big crowd is expected on Independence Day, which will include the biggest fireworks show in Vibes history.