Stingers actually aided by wind for a change

For a change, the wind at Franklin Covey Field helped the Salt Lake Stingers.

Early in Wednesday's 7-5 Salt Lake victory over the Edmonton Trappers, the wind held up a couple of hard-hit balls by the visitors.

Typically, especially this season, the flags in leftfield have blown out, as have the balls hit by opposing teams. But when the Stingers drove a couple balls during a decisive four-run sixth inning, the wind was blowing out to right, and that's where Salt Lake hit them.

The prime beneficiary probably was Zach Sorensen, who tied the game by lofting a two-run homer just over the fence in right. It was his second homer of the season.

"Sorensen's ball was probably pushed a little bit," said Stingers manager Mike Brumley, who noted that his team had good timing on this night.

"(The wind) switched two or three times during the game," Brumley said. "It kept us in the game early. There were a couple balls hit that would have been home runs."

Not that the Stingers are feeling sorry for the Trappers. They, after all, are the guys who had beaten Salt Lake 11 straight times before a 13-2 Salt Lake blowout on Tuesday. Edmonton has a solid lineup that has punished the Salt Lake pitching staff this season.

But the Stingers have been doing some hitting of their own lately, led by PCL player of the week Adam Riggs and Dallas McPherson. Riggs went 4-for-5 Wednesday and scored twice, and McPherson went 2-for-3 and got intentionally walked twice—a mild surprise for PCL ball, especially with Shane Halter, a veteran major leaguer, on deck.

Brumley said that Riggs has been "really hot. That last road trip he was on fire. He's gone through about three streaks this year where he just doesn't make any outs."

Salt Lake trailed 5-2 after four-and-a-half innings, though only three of those runs off starter Jake Woods were earned. Wil Nieves started the sixth inning with a solo homer, and after a Brian Gordon single, Sorensen went deep. Well, deep enough. Riggs then singled and scored on a double by Casey Kotchman.

That put Salt Lake up 6-5, and the bullpen held the Trappers scoreless over the final three innings, including a ninth-inning save by Ben Weber.

The series continues tonight at 7 with Chris Bootcheck (8-8, 5.50 ERA) on the mound for Salt Lake, vs. Edmonton's Jeriome Robertson (0-1, 4.82).

NOTES: Gordon struck out three times, giving him 123 for the season — third on the all-time single-season franchise list. In second place is Tom Quinlan, who whiffed 124 times in 1995, and the all-time leader is Ryan Radmanovich, who K'd 138 times in 1997.

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E-mail: rich@desnews.com