Hits just keep on rolling as Edmonton blasts Stingers

Salt Lake's 18-5 loss to Edmonton Thursday came to a tune Stingers manager Mike Brumley has been listening to all season long.

And the hits just kept on rolling.

The Stingers pitching staff gave up 23 hits to the Trappers, one shy of their season worst, leading to 14 Edmonton runs in the first three innings.

Stingers shortstop Jake Thrower bobbled a potential inning-ending double play ball in the second inning, and the Trappers made him, and starting pitcher Chris Bootcheck, pay for it.

Edmonton cleanup hitter Valentino Pascucci blasted a three-run homer off Bootcheck in the frame to follow his two-run shot in the first.

"That inning just kind of unravelled on us after that (error)," Brumley said.

So did the next one.

While Thrower's error was far from a game-deciding play, the Trappers gained a momentum neither Bootcheck nor the Stingers staff could reverse, leaving Brumley on the same note he's been on all season long: "You're going to struggle when your pitching is down," he said. Salt Lake's poor team ERA and the problems they've had giving up two-out runs.

While Bootcheck (8-9) had won five of his last seven decisions, he gave up 12 hits in 2 2/3 innings to the Trappers. Of the 13 runs he allowed, though, only six were earned following the error.

Pascucci was 2-for-5 with five RBI on a night every Trappers batter went to the plate at least six times, and only Rick Short didn't have at least two hits.

Brendan Harris also homered in the second, a two-run shot, and finished 3-for-6 with five RBI, matching Pascucci.

Ryan Church also had a big night, going 4-for-6 with a two-run round tripper in the fourth for Edmonton.

Jeriome Robertson (1-1) went 6 2/3 innings for the win, giving up five runs on 10 hits.

The Stingers had won two straight from Edmonton, a team that had an 11-game winning streak going against them dating to last August.

The Stingers' biggest inning was the first, when Adam Riggs extended his hitting streak to a season-high 15 games with a single and Casey Kotchman and Andres Galarraga followed with singles as well. Galarraga's poke rolled away from center fielder Brandon Watson, letting the Big Cat chug into second and two runs score. Dallas McPherson then doubled home Galarraga.

Riggs and Kotchman both went 2-for-3, while Galarraga was 2-for-4.

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E-mail: RBurton@desnews.com