Colo Springs 8, Las Vegas 6

Saturday, June 28, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Craig Counsell hit a solo homer in the fifth and then drilled a two-run, tie-breaking double in the eighth to give Colorado Springs an 8-6 Pacific Coast League victory over Las Vegas Friday night.

The Stars had jumped out to a 3-0 lead with three runs in the first on RBI singles by Chad Tredaway, Stoney Briggs and Charles Poe.

Angel Echevarria's 2-run homer in the fourth kept the Sky Sox in the chase, narrowing the deficit to 3-2.

Then in the fifth, Sox starter and winning pitcher John Hope (3-2) lead off with a solo homer, followed by Counsel's solo shot and Tom Quinlan's RBI single to give Colorado Springs a 5-3 lead.

The Sox added a run in the sixth before the Stars tied the game 6-6 in the seventh on Eric Helfand's RBI single, Derrek Lee's run on a balk and Juan Melo's RBI double.

Counsell's 2-run double in the eight clinched the win and reliever Robbie Beckett held the Stars' scoreless in the ninth to tally his first save.

Stars reliever Terry Burrows (1-3) was the loser.

The Sox improved to 49-28 while the Stars slipped to 31-50.

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