Final: Memphis 10, Colorado Springs 9 Redbirds Outlast Sox 10-9 In Seesaw Battle Redbirds rally late to spoil Sky Sox home opener By Aaron Cheris / Colorado Springs Sky Sox Reminder, our affiliate summaries are linked, not copied, this year, please click above for the most complete report... *** VIDEO via KOAA: Early game action -- and shivers... *** PHOTO GALLERY at the link -- On opening night, Sky Sox's departure fails to inspire mass sorrow David Ramsey, Colorado Springs Gazette The Sky Sox, at least the Triple-A version of the Sky Sox, will almost certainly depart Colorado Springs before the 2019 season. For the next three years, we will watch The Lame Ducks. Guess what? I don't expect much of a change at Security Service Field. Attendance will remain steady. Colorado Springs residents will flock to watch fireworks and drink beers and gobble hot dogs. Devout baseball fans will focus intensely on the action on the field. Everyone else will focus intensely on the beers and hot dogs in their hands. Miserable weather was predicted for Friday's home opener, but an announced crowd of 2,997 (that looked more like a crowd of 1,500) braved wind and sprinkles to watch the Sky Sox play the Memphis Redbirds. No protest banners were raised to express anger about the Sky Sox's probable move. No banners were raised to beg Sky Sox leaders to forsake San Antonio and remain in the Pikes Peak Region. No banners were raised, period. It was an opening night like any opening night. Notice, there's no decibel meter at Security Service Field. It's a soothing destination, not a loud, pulse-raising one. Crowds will be small on cold nights in the spring, but once the warmth of summer arrives, the masses will return. Security Service Field is not a good place to look at the mountains. It is a good place to bring the family. The stadium is depressingly unambitious, but it's cozy, and there's plenty of parking. For most fans, the connection with the Sky Sox is thin. For many, baseball is secondary to the weather and food. I know there are pockets of sorrow. A few hundred Sky Sox fans are struggling with disappointment and bewilderment as they consider a future without Triple-A baseball. Their connection with Triple-A baseball is deep. These devoted fans are the exception. It's tough for Triple-A baseball to place deep hooks in the hearts of fans. The roster constantly changes, making it difficult to connect to players. The best players get called up to the big leagues at the worst possible times. And then there's the dreaded "D" word. Yes, development. When a Triple-A team is losing, managers tend to stare off into the distance and talk about development. Development, not winning, is paramount in Triple-A. The Sky Sox's departure failed to ignite an uproar. The move to San Antonio became a popular conversation topic. It did not inspire mass despair. A backlash is not on the horizon at Security Service this summer. *** Sky Sox fall in home opener that includes all the negatives of high-altitude baseball Brent Briggeman, Colorado Springs Gazette This opening day should have come with a spoiler alert. Playing their first home game of the season, the Sky Sox along with help from Memphis tipped their hand to everything that figures to be seen over the coming 71 gatherings at Security Service Field. The 10-9 Colorado Springs loss included 24 hits, nine extra-base hits, three errors, a run that scored on a defensive interference and appearances from nine pitchers who issued 13 walks. It took 3 hours and 50 minutes to complete, saw five lead changes and four half-innings with at least three runs crossing the plate. It featured miserably frigid, windy conditions and was seen, at the end, by a few dozen fans. There were also three wild pitches and two passed balls. But then again, with pitchers uncorking a total of 380 deliveries, a few were bound to get away. If anyone didn't know what baseball in Colorado Springs is often like, the big reveal came Friday night. And, of course, much of this is the reason that perhaps only two more opening days in this city will fall in this month as the team hopes to move to San Antonio in 2019 and bring in its place a short-season team that doesn't start each year until mid-June. Yes, warts and all, this was baseball at 6,531 feet. The Sky Sox built a 5-3 lead after five innings, stormed back from a 7-5 hole in the seventh, only to see the Redbirds tie it in the top of the eighth. Memphis won it on a two-out single from Matt Williams in the ninth that scored Mike Ohlman. One storyline Colorado Springs and the Milwaukee Brewers would like to see repeated was the performance of shortstop Orlando Arcia. The organization's top prospect went 2 for 3 with a triple and three RBIs. He hit a pair of line drive sacrifice flies and the only time he was retired in a traditional manner came on a roped smash to third base. Arcia also started an unconventional 6-3-5 double play with his strong throw on the run came fast enough for first baseman Andy Wilkins to throw across the diamond for the second out. No. 2 Brewers prospect Jorge Lopez picked up a no-decision in his first start at this altitude. He gave up three runs on five hits in 42/3 innings. *** Colorado Springs Box Score CF (yes, CF, as noted earlier) Michael Reed was 1-for-4 with a walk... Colorado Springs Game Log