Matt Daley pitched like he wanted to get the heck out of the cold.

Taking the ball after Las Vegas cut the Sky Sox’s five-run lead to two, Daley sped through two near perfect relief innings in helping Colorado Springs preserve a 6-4 victory that kept the Sky Sox perfect at 3-0.

To clarify, Daley was perfect in the traditional sense, retiring all six batters he faced. The catch was that he was almost truly perfect, throwing 17 strikes among his 18 pitches.

“That’s definitely the most efficient I’ve ever been for sure,” Daley said. “The colder it is the faster you want to work. You don’t want to keep your guys on the field any longer than they have to be out there.”

Daley’s performance led another solid outing for the Sky Sox bullpen. The unit is 2-0 with a 1.42 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 12 2/3 innings.

Daley, a 6-fooy-2 right-hander who will turn 27 in June, already has six strikeouts in his three innings.

“Our bullpen has been very good so far in these first few games,” Sky Sox manager Tom Runnells said. “It’s nice. It’s nice to know these guys are out there and picking us up a little bit.”

The 51s had a chance to get a jump after three straight singles and a walk against Sky Sox starter Jason Hirsh (1-0) in the first, but a crafty double play on a slow roller by second baseman Mike McCoy ended the threat after just one run had scored.

McCoy quickly faked a throw to second, which kept the runner headed in his direction. He then tagged the runner and threw to first on a bang-bang play.

“I’ve thought about the situation before,” McCoy said. “You just kind of have to think fast as it’s happening.”

After the first, Hirsh found a groove, allowing just two hits until a three-run rally in the fifth.

“It was the first time I’ve pitched in something that cold,” Hirsh said. “Keeping warm between innings was more important than it’s ever been.”

A Paul Phillips sacrifice fly gave the Sky Sox their first run in the second inning.

Dan Ortmeier doubled in a run and Edwin Bellorin singled in two more in a three-run third. Outfielders Matt Miller and Matt Murton added RBI hits for Colorado Springs in the sixth, as the lead grew to 6-1 and chased starter Bradley Mills (0-1) – a top prospect in the Blue Jays organization – out of the game.

Things tightened for a bit before Daley set a tone that kept the Sky Sox unbeaten.

“He’s different, he comes down here,” said 51s designated hitter Randy Ruiz, a Daley strikeout victim describing the pitcher’s low release point. “He throws hard and does well. It’s early. It’s cold. That’s no excuse, but I know these guys around me and they can hit. They’ll come around.”

Major League moment

Sky Sox left fielder Matt Miller made a backhanded, diving catch against Las Vegas’ Buck Coates leading off the second inning. It was the third sterlng defensive play Miller has made in as many games.

Sky Sox shortstop Mike McCoy dived for a ball in an exhibition against CSU-Pueblo on April 7. McCoy had a single on Saturday against Las Vegas. Photo by KEVIN KRECK, THE GAZETTE