The Colorado Rockies have ushered in September with a strong start after defeating the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday in extra innings, 6-5, to win the series at Coors Field in Denver.

The Rockies are now 2-0 to begin the month, which replicates the start they had in August. How did they get it done?

Through the first two innings of the game, neither team could get on the board. Then, the Orioles delivered the first punch with a three-run, third-inning effort because of an RBI single by Pete Alonso and a two-RBI double by Luis Robert Jr.

After Baltimore’s offense got after Rockies right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano and created a three-run advantage, Colorado could have done what bad teams do and let the deficit fester. Instead, it provided a small answer of its own in the bottom of the third thanks to a two-out triple by Jake McCarthy that scored Adael Amador.

To Sugano’s credit, he did not allow any runs for the rest of his outing, and the Rockies continued to incrementally work their way back into the game. By the end of his outing, the 36-year-old righty had pitched six innings and struck out four batters while allowing six hits, three earned runs and a walk. 

In the bottom of the fourth, Colorado’s momentum continued to build when Cole Carrigg hit an RBI single to make it a 3-2 game.

From the fifth through the eighth inning, both teams went scoreless, and as the Rockies came down to their last three outs to work with, they still had to overcome a one-run deficit.

Colorado was on the ropes when Hunter Goodman struck out, and TJ Rumfield flew out to open the inning, but Carrigg delivered a clutch two-out double. Subsequently, Zac Veen hit a double of his own that scored Carrigg and tied the game.

From there, the Rockies and Orioles were bound for extra innings, and though neither team scored in the 10th, it was a dogfight in the 11th.

Baltimore jumped back in front after scoring two runs in the top of the 11th, but Colorado refused to go down. In the bottom of the inning, Rumfield delivered an RBI single, but after Carrigg and Veen were the heroes of the ninth, they proceeded to strike out.

Once again, the Rockies were down to one out while down by one run. This time, it was Amador and Brett Sullivan that came through in a big way after the former hit a single and the latter followed with a two-RBI walkoff single.

The Rockies showed a willingness to scratch and claw their way to victory that we have not often seen this season, and it benefited them.