The Salt Lake Stingers looked to be left for dead in their game with Colorado Springs on Wednesday after the Sky Sox jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first inning.
Not only were the Sky Sox hitting everything that Elvin Nina was throwing, but the Stingers were making surprising errors in the field — like when centerfielder Jeff DaVanon let a routine pop fly pop out of his mitt.
But the Stingers slowly chipped away at Colorado Springs' lead and pulled into first place with a dramatic 6-5 win.
Robb Quinlan singled in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth to close an impressive at-bat that lasted 10 pitches. Quinlan said he wanted to be at the plate with a chance to win the game.
"Anyone wants to be in that situation with the game on the line," Quinlan said. "I finally got a pitch to hit."
And Quinlan's hit extended Salt Lake's season-high winning streak to five and gave the Stingers a one-game lead over the Sky Sox in the PCL's Central Division.
Quinlan said the win was a nice emotional boost for the never-say-die Stingers.
"To come back and win games shows your team that you're never out of a game," Quinlan said. "It's a big win."
Nina rebounded nicely after a horrible first inning. Not that Stingers manager Mike Brumley had much choice about leaving him in the game with the pitching staff as depleted as it is. Jason Stephens is on the disabled list with a bum shoulder, and Matt Wise is with the parent-club Anaheim Angels. Brumley plans to use relievers Marty Janzen and Chris Pine in the starting rotation.
"We need to get some innings out of our starters — at least five or six," Brumley said.
Luckily for Brumley, Nina settled down after the first and held the Sky Sox to four hits and no runs in the next five innings. Dusty Bergman and Brendan Donnelly combined to no-hit Colorado Springs over the final three innings.
DaVanon made up for his fielding error with a tape-measure home run in the first inning that hit the scoreboard over the right field wall. The Stingers added runs in the third and fourth before tying the game in the eighth when Brian Fuentes was called for a balk.
BEE LINES: Attendance was 3,720 . . . The Stingers have won 12 of their last 15 games . . . Chone Figgins extended his hitting streak to nine with a single in the first inning. He is now tied with Jose Molina for the longest streak of the season . . . Anaheim honored Salt Lake's Mickey Callaway as the organization's pitcher of the month for April. He went 5-0 with a 1.32 ERA . . . Every team in the PCL Central Division is above .500.
E-MAIL: aaragon@desnews.com