Owlz Offense Goes Cold Again in Saturday's Loss

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. -- NoCo couldn't crack Grand Junction's impressive pitching for the second-straight game, spoiling a pretty solid showing by its own pitchers in the process.

With the 4-2 loss, the Owlz (16-27) have now dropped seven of their last eight games.

Jacob Wesselmann (W, 1-1) continued the consistency from Grand Junction (25-21) against these NoCo batters. Wesselmann tallied eight of the Rockies' 11 punch outs. He didn't walk a soul and threw 87 pitches across his seven innings. By lasting that long and allowing just two earned runs, Wesselmann walked away with his first quality start this season.

But he started the night in the hole almost immediately.

Top of the first, Alex Jackson's leadoff double gave way to Tim Bouchard's booming backside double. Bouchard's 12^th extra-base hit as an Owl scored Jackson for Saturday's first run. He's now knocked in a run in nine of his 19 games with NoCo.

With a 1-0 advantage, Colton Williams worked a very quick first two innings. The lefty let loose even into the third, getting the first two out to retire eight of the first nine he faced. But back-to-back-to-back base knocks scored two runs, and the Rockies took the lead.

NoCo's next opportunity, in the fifth, flamed out. Euro Diaz singled with one away. His team tried a hit and run, but Diaz got caught stealing. Next pitch, Robbie Kellerman crushed a double that certainly would've scored Diaz. Still, Kellerman stood in scoring position. Wesselmann worked a strikeout out what was once a 3-0 count. The Owlz left that inning scoreless.

But Williams kept them in it. After Austin Elder and Nico Popa popped consecutive singles once again, Williams coaxed Casey Petersen into an inning-ending double-play ball.

That was the end of the road for the starter. Kyle Adkins (L, 4-1) appeared the very next inning. He stuck to the script and tossed two quick strikeouts.

In the seventh, Williams was let off the hook with Matthew Turner's game-tying tater. Turner played college ball at Colorado Mesa University, right there in Grand Junction. No stranger to Suplizio Field, he stroked a solo shot that became his first professional home run.

That no-doubter knotted things up for NoCo, but it didn't stay tied for too long.

Adkins attacked the first two batters he faced in the eighth. But with two outs, Elder reached on an error, Popa singled him into scoring position, and Petersen poked a run-scoring single. It was the three-hole hitter's third RBI of the night, and it gave his guys a 3-2 lead they wouldn't let up.

In fact, they grew upon that lead, adding to it after the Owlz gave up another good chance to get on the board.

Jackson and Bouchard each drew eighth-inning walks, chasing the Rockies reliever that started the inning. Their next reliever hit Kevin Higgins with his first pitch, but a looking strikeout squandered a bases-loaded look for the losing team.

The Rockies plated one more in the eighth off of NoCo newbie Ben Strahm. That insurance run gave Trevin Reynolds (S, 5) cushion as he closed the contest.

In the end, despite receiving the loss, Adkins fanned four Rockies across his pretty tact two innings. He allowed three hits and just that one unearned run.

Overall, the Owlz offered a good enough pitching performance to win. The lead never grew too much to manage. The staff surrendered zero walks, the first time that's happened in a game this season. 

But Saturday saw another slow go of it at the plate with only six hits. Five of them were extra-base hits, but only one of those came with a runner on base already. The Owlz walked twice compared to their 11 K's. In need of some late game scoring, NoCo couldn't muster any hits after the seventh inning.

Bouchard became the only Owl with multiple hits in the game. He doubled twice, the second time he's done so this season.

NoCo comes back for a double-header day to end the series on Sunday. First pitch from Suplizio Field is set for 1 p.m. The day's second game will likely start 30 minutes after the completion of the first game.