From Deseret News archives:
Stingers win 3rd in a row
Salt Lake's hot hitting continues vs. Omaha
It was also the Stingers' first series sweep since the middle of April.
The sunny Sunday afternoon meeting offered plenty of offense by both teams, a welcome sight for the Stingers.
The Stingers scored 48 runs in the three-game series against the Royals, a surprising number against an Omaha team that came into the series sixth in the PCL in opponent's ERA.
The unusually high-scoring series against the Royals came as a bit of a surprise for manager Mike Brumley.
"The offense is doing some kind of job out there," Stingers manager Mike Brumley said. "I think we have a bona fide lineup in there right now."
Salt Lake gave up two runs early in the second inning, due in part to a shaky inning for pitcher Chris Bootcheck.
Salt Lake's pitchers gave up five runs when the Royals had two outs, a trend that has plagued the Stingers all season.
"That's been a key this season for us," Brumley said. "Our pitchers get down (in the count) on the third out and get into trouble trying to catch up."
Omaha had 16 hits, good enough for a productive day, just not good enough to beat the Stingers.
The Stingers regained their composure and answered quickly in the bottom of the second, scoring three runs highlighted by Zach Sorensen's two-RBI single with two down.
The Stingers did not relinquish the lead for the rest of the afternoon.
Dallas McPherson's home run in the bottom of the third scored three runs.
"McPherson is swinging the bat really well, and that's always good to see." Brumley said.
The middle of the lineup for Salt Lake has been the most run-productive for the Stingers recently, with solid at-bats from Casey Kotchman, Andres Galarraga and McPherson.
Kotchman finished the game 4-for-5, bringing his series to a close with a 13-for-19 performance at the plate.
Galarraga walked three times Sunday, and is 6-of-15 so far with the Stingers.
Bootcheck's five and two-thirds inning on the mound gave much-needed relief to the taxed Stingers bullpen.
"(Bootcheck) did a good job out there," Brumley said. "We needed him to give us some innings today."
Omaha worked its way back into the contest in the sixth inning with home runs by Alexis Gomez and Aaron Guiel, narrowing the Stingers' lead to a single run.
Brandon Emanuel came out of the bullpen in the sixth and allowed two hits in his two innings on the mound, setting up Derrick Turnbow for the ninth inning.
A three-run eighth inning for Salt Lake closed the door on Omaha.
E-mail: acole@desnews.com
