S.L. snaps losing skid with win over Beavers

Pitching and hitting are great, but it doesn't hurt to get the occasional lucky bounce, either.

The Salt Lake Stingers benefited from all of the above Monday night in putting a halt to a five-game losing streak with a 10-6 victory over the Portland Beavers at Franklin Covey Field.

Stingers manager Mike Brumley gave starting pitcher Chris Bootcheck the lion's share of the credit for stopping the bleeding.

"When you get in streaks like that, it's big for a starter to step up there and shut the other team down," Brumley said.

Bootcheck allowed just two earned runs on six hits over 6 1/3 innings, a performance Brumley said was his best of the young season.

"He focused tonight and he knew what he wanted to do," Brumley said. "He pitched with some conviction, which is something he needs."

While Bootcheck was in control on the hill, the Stingers' lineup finally produced some runs — after totaling eight runs in their previous five games. Salt Lake scored two in the first inning and two in the third, then iced the game with a five-run fifth inning.

During the losing streak, it had seemed as if the Stingers couldn't catch a lucky break or bounce. But in this game they benefited from several balls that popped out of the gloves of Beavers trying to make good plays.

In that decisive fifth inning, Salt Lake scored five times on two walks, a hit batter, a throwing error by Portland pitcher Tim Byrdak, two singles, a double and a sacrifice fly.

That's not exactly knocking the cover off the ball, but in a much more jovial Stingers locker room, nobody minded.

"We were showing signs last (game) of breaking out of our slump offensively," Brumley said of his team's 14-hit performance.

The top five guys in the Stingers' lineup had two hits each, including Alfredo Amezaga and and Barry Wesson, who have gotten off to slow starts this season.

Brumley said he never worried too much about his offense, or the losing streak, because April is rarely a good indication of what a team is about.

"This month, everybody's just trying to get a feel for our club," he said. "I think that kept everybody from getting down."

The Stingers will try to make it two straight against the Beavers with a 10:30 a.m. game today. Brumley said the early game, coupled with a day off Wednesday, should be good for his squad.