Salt Lake stings Iowa with timely hitting, defense

The Salt Lake Stingers got some timely hits and turned a season-tying four double plays in edging the Iowa Cubs 3-2 Sunday afternoon at Franklin Covey Field.

Stingers starter Doug Sessions threw six complete innings, giving up a run on just three hits while walking three in a solid performance.

"I really didn't have good location early," Sessions said, "but I got the pitches I needed at just the right time. I think a lot of it had to do with the long layoff between starts. It's been nine days."

Salt Lake reliever Mike Brunet allowed the tying run in the top of the eighth inning on a pair of walks, a stolen base and a throwing error by the catcher and his own wild pitch to negate Sessions' performance. But Brunet got the win when Salt Lake scored in its turn at bat.

In the Stingers' half of the inning, Brad Martinez led off with a double and advanced to third on a picture-perfect sacrifice bunt by Alexi Casilla. After Brian Gordon was walked intentionally, Jeff Mathis struck out swinging, making way for Casey Kotchman, who also drove in the go-ahead run in the third inning.

Kotchman worked the count to 2-1, then hit a solid shot to right field that scored Martinez and advanced Gordon to third, giving the Stingers the 3-2 lead. Reliever Joel Peralta preserved the victory with a 1-2-3 ninth, striking out two.

"(The Iowa pitcher) threw me curveball, curveball, curveball, then a fastball," Kotchman said. "I just tried to make contact."

"Kotchman was huge," Salt Lake manager Dino Ebel said. "He's swinging the bat well, and things are going good for him right now. Our team is really battling. The pitchers are keeping the ball down and we're turning double plays which gets us out of big innings."

No one was victimized on Sunday more than Iowa's Todd Walker, who hit into three double plays himself and struck out looking on his last appearance at the plate. The Cubs did stay aggressive, stealing second base three times in the first three innings, which accounted for their first run.

Shane Halter walked, stole second and advanced to third on a fielder's choice. Scott McClain drove him in with a hard shot past Stingers third baseman Adam Pavkovich for the 1-0 lead.

Salt Lake bounced back in the bottom of the third, when Casilla singled center. Gordon then drove a ball to the centerfield wall, scoring Casilla and beating the throw and tag at third base for a triple. After Mathis flied out to second base, Kotchman followed with a hard shot to center, and Salt Lake led 2-1, a lead it held until the eighth.

"Our team is bouncing back," Ebel said, "You can feel it in the dugout, the attitude is great . . . we call it the 'Big Mo' — momentum, everybody's feeling it."

NOTES: Chelsea Cravens, daughter of Weber State basketball coach Joe Cravens, sang the national anthem before Sunday's game . . . Sunday's attendance was 4,552 and the game lasted just two hours and four minutes . . . The same two teams meet tonight at 6:30 . . . Tuesday's game will be at noon, then after a day off, the Stingers play their next 12 games on the road beginning in Oklahoma City.

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E-mail: jringwood@desnews.com