51s’ big inning extends winning streak

Since their season-best four-game winning streak in mid-April, the 51s hadn't won more than two games in a row.

That changed with a boom Thursday, when Las Vegas exploded for 10 runs in the fifth inning en route to its third straight victory, 12-7 over Colorado Springs at Cashman Field.

The 51s sent 16 men to the plate and tied a franchise record with 11 hits in their highest-scoring inning this season. The uprising lifted Las Vegas (26-35) from a 3-2 deficit to a 12-3 lead.

Brad Emaus doubled to lead off the fifth and scored on a tying single by Jorge Padilla. Luis Figueroa's two-run homer to right-center put the 51s ahead.

Brett Wallace and Brian Dopirak each singled and Chris Lubanski followed with a two-run double. Dopirak scored on a wild pitch by Colorado Springs starter Esmil Rogers (0-1) and Adam Calderone ripped a two-run homer to right field to make it 10-3.

Emaus singled, Jonathan Diaz walked and Padilla singled to load the bases for Figueroa, who launched a sacrifice fly to center. Wallace delivered an RBI double to make it 12-3.

Dopirak walked to reload the bases before Lubanski struck out looking to end the rally.

The Sky Sox (28-31) scored in the seventh on an RBI single by Matt Miller and in the eighth on a two-run homer by Chris Frey. They made it 12-7 with no outs in the ninth on a single by Kaz Matsui, but 51s reliever Steven Register fanned Miller and Brad Eldred and retired Jay Payton on a grounder to third to end it.

51s starter Lance Broadway (2-5) held Colorado Springs to four runs on nine hits, with one walk and seven strikeouts, in 6 2/3 innings.

"Our starting pitching, the last week or so, has gotten back on track a little bit," manager Dan Rohn said. "We've been swinging the bats all year. It's just a matter of us catching the balls and pitching."

Figueroa, 36, finished 3-for-4 with three RBIs to lift his team-leading average to .358, and he also leads Las Vegas in hitting at home at .411 (44-for-107).

"I'm just seeing the ball very good the last couple of weeks," he said. "Everything's going my way right now."

The switch-hitting second baseman has had at least two hits in 15 of his last 20 games (41-for-86) to lift his average from .262 to .358.

Padilla also had three hits and Wallace, Calderone, Emaus and J.P. Arencibia added two hits apiece for Las Vegas.

Arencibia homered in his second straight game and has six in his last 15 games, tying Lubanski and Wallace for the team lead with 11 apiece.

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0354.