COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado – The Memphis Redbirds (25-18) put on a show on offense in a Saturday doubleheader at Colorado Springs, taking down the Sky Sox (Brewers) 11-3 in game one and 11-4 in game two.
The 22 runs, including 10 runs in the first inning of game two, equaled the Redbirds’ last seven games of runs combined. Memphis had 25 hits Saturday after having 24 in its last three games in total.
Oscar Mercado was 7-for-9 on the day and scored two runs in each game, and he also drove in a run in each contest. Patrick Wisdom was 5-for-7 with six RBI, and he had two doubles, a triple, and a home run.
Memphis scored 20 of its 22 runs with two outs.
Game 1: Memphis 11, Colorado Springs 3
Mercado was 4-for-5, and Wisdom finished a home run shy of the cycle in an 11-3 win in game one of the doubleheader after a 30-minute weather delay before first pitch. Daniel Poncedeleon fanned 10 in 5.0 innings of work on the mound to move to 3-2 on the season.
Wisdom doubled, tripled, and singled in his first three at-bats before flying out to center field in his fourth plate appearance, but he still finished with three RBI. Max Schrock had a three-run homer in the third inning to help turn a 2-1 Memphis lead after the first inning into a 6-1 advantage after the third.
Poncedeleon’s 10 strikeouts were two shy of his season and career high of 12, set April 14 against Iowa. Mike O’Reilly and Hector Mendoza finished the game on the mound for the Redbirds, with Mendoza making his Triple-A debut.
The Redbirds scored 10 of their 11 runs in the opener with two outs.
Game 2: Memphis 11, Colorado Springs 4
The Redbirds scored 10 runs on 10 hits in the first inning and cruised to an 11-4 win in the nightcap. Mercado had two hits in the first, and Wisdom and Ramon Urias both had three-run home runs in the opening frame.
As impressive as the 10-run inning was, it still was not Memphis’ highest-scoring inning of the season after the club plated 12 in the seventh inning at Round Rock in the second game of the season on April 6.
Sean Gilmartin worked 5.0 innings in the win, giving up four runs and striking out five without a walk. Arturo Reyes tossed the final two innings to finish the win.
The Redbirds and Sky Sox finish their series tomorrow afternoon at 2:00 (CT). The Redbirds then return to AutoZone Park for nine games starting on Monday. For more information on single-game tickets and ticket mini-memberships, visit www.memphisredbirds.com.
