Fremd's Tauchman powers his way into Rockies lineup

Mike Tauchman, a onetime baseball standout at Fremd, is getting a chance in the big leagues with the Colorado Rockies.

Tauchman got his first at-bat on Tuesday, pinch-hitting in the 12th inning of the Rockies' 4-3 loss in 14 innings at San Francisco.

He followed up Wednesday with his first hit, which drove in a tying run in what turned out to be a 5-3 Rockies loss. Tauchman finished 1-for-2 with 2 walks after hitting in the No. 7 spot and starting in right field.

Colorado was idle Thursday and begins a series Friday at Arizona.

Tauchman, who played four collegiate seasons at Bradley and finished with a .425 average in his senior year, was drafted by the Rockies in the 10th round in 2013. He's been a steady producer through the minor-league system and was hitting .313 with 10 homers and 55 RBI at AAA Albuquerque in the Pacific Coast League this season. That was quite a jump in power from the previous year, when he hit .286 with 1 homer.