Pitching to contact is one of the new catch-phrases in baseball. That’s what Sky Sox starter Josh Muecke was doing, but it was not exactly what they had in mind.

Because the Sky Sox lost contact with the Sacramento RiverCats.

Muecke gave up eight runs and did not escape the first in an 16-9 loss Saturday before 5,181 at Security Service Field.

For the second straight night, the RiverCats battered Sky Sox pitching, finishing with 19 hits against five pitchers, every batter getting at least one hit for the second straight night. Corey Wimberly continued to torture Colorado Springs from the leadoff spot, winding up a home run short of the cycle, driving in five runs and scoring twice. Michael Taylor had four hits, scored three runs and drove in two and Corey Brown was a double short of the cycle, scoring three times.

“They’re a pretty good hitting team. They’ve shown that throughout the season,” Sky Sox manager Stu Cole said. “We battled; we hit the ball well, they just seem to get hits at key times.”

Travis Banwart shut out the Sky Sox until the seventh, when he gave up three straight hits — a single to Kaz Matsui, extending his hitting streak to 13 games, Cole Garner’s 10th triple of the season and Jay Payton’s second hit. Banwart gave up two runs on six hits in six innings. The Sky Sox scored seven runs in the seventh to close the gap.

Jared Lansford relieved and gave the fans a thrill, giving up six runs in two-thirds of an inning, highlighted by Payton’s second RBI and Brad Eldred’s 30th home run of the season, a three-run shot. Jon Hunton replaced Lansford and promptly gave up Mike Paulk’s eighth homer.

“It feels good; it’s nice the get that one out of the way,’’ said Eldred, who became the sixth Sky Sox to hit 30 homers in a season. “The last one is the toughest.’’

Every Sky Sox got a hit except No. 9 hitter Warren Schaffer.

“We put a run at them,” said designated hitter Matt Miller. “We just lost.”

Notes

Rehabbing Rockies left-hander Jeff Francis will start for the Sky Sox this afternoon against the RiverCats in Game 3 of the season-ending four-game series, replacing Ching-Lung Lo. Francis, rehabbing a sore left shoulder, is scheduled to throw 50 pitches. … Speaking of rehabs, Matt Daley gave up two runs on three hits in two-thinds of an inning with a strikeout Friday night as part of his rehab. He threw 14 pitches.

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