COLORADO SPRINGS, Col. – It took a while for Jose Yepez to get the signs straight, but in the end it all worked out.
Yepez launched a two-run homer to center field in the top of the eighth inning, giving Tacoma two much-needed insurance runs in a 6-5 victory over the Colorado Springs Sky Sox on Sunday.
It was the final road game of the season for the Rainiers, who won three out of five in Colorado Springs and finished the season 38-34 on the road.
Yepez originally went to the plate to bunt. Carlos Triunfel had opened the eighth with a single and stole second when Yepez squared around on the second pitch.
Yepez showed bunt on the next two pitches, but took them for balls, moving ahead in the count 3-1.
Then manager Daren Brown met with Yepez for a brief discussion.
“I told him to hit a home run,” Brown joked. “Actually, we had some signs crossed up but we got them fixed on the 3-1 count.”
Yepez’s third homer of the season gave Tacoma a 6-2 lead. The insurance runs were needed as Cesar Jimenez allowed two runs in the bottom of the eighth, and another unearned run in the ninth.
Colorado Springs had the tying and winning runners on base in the ninth, but Scott Patterson relieved Jimenez and got two pop-ups to end the game.
Tacoma (66-70) was in a position to win because of the pitching of starter Chris Seddon.
Seddon went seven innings and allowed two runs on six hits to earn the win, improving his record to 9-6.
“He mixed his pitches, and he threw strikes with all of his pitches, he kept the ball down,” Brown said. “It was one of his better outings in a while and it was good to see.”
Tacoma took a 4-2 lead in the fourth inning by scoring three runs with two outs.
The Rainiers loaded the bases on two hits and an error, and Sean Kazmar cleared them with a single to left-center, with an extra run scoring when left fielder Ryan Spilborghs’ throw to third base was wild and went into Tacoma’s dugout.
SHORT HOPS
In a nod to Tacoma’s franchise history, the Rainiers announced that tickets for kids 12 and under will be 50 cents for today, Tuesday, and Wednesday’s games. That’s the same amount kids’ tickets cost when Cheney Stadium opened in 1960... Triunfel went 3-for-4 to go 11-for-23 in Colorado Springs.
ON TAP
The Rainiers start a season-ending eight-game homestand with a game tonight against the Tucson Padres. First pitch is 7:05, and Tacoma is set to start Jarret Grube (4-3, 5.25 ERA). Tucson’s pitcher is undecided.
Mike Curto is the radio broadcaster for the Tacoma Rainiers.
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