Bees' Evans ends week with impact

Terry Evans ended his memorable week with a bang. And a crash.

Fortunately, the Salt Lake outfielder can still remember his first major league home run earlier in the week despite his eighth-inning run-in with the center field wall on Saturday.

Evans hit a first-inning solo homer, drove in another run in the seventh, and made a spectacular catch in the eighth to help the Bees defeat Sacramento 6-4 at Franklin Covey Field on Saturday night.

It was Evans' first game back with the Bees since being called up by the Angels a week ago today. While in Anaheim, he hit his first career major league home run with his father watching — and videotaping the at-bat — in the stands.

"It was perfect," Evans said of his week in the big leagues. "I couldn't have drawn it up any better."

On Saturday, after Sacramento had taken a 1-0 lead in the first on two Salt Lake errors, Evans followed up Brandon Wood's solo home run with one of his own to give the Bees their first lead of the game. The 25-year-old from Woodstock, Ga., sent a 2-0 change-up deep over the left-field fence.

He then helped the Bees slow a comeback bid in the eighth. After highly touted A's prospect Daric Barton had taken Salt Lake reliever Greg Jones deep in the eighth to trim Sacramento's deficit to two runs, Dee Brown crushed the ball to deep center field. Evans ran down the ball, hauling it in before crashing into the wall.

Evans walked slowly back to the dugout, but said he was fine after the game.

"Not only was that a great catch, but the timing ... That was huge," Salt Lake manager Brian Harper said. Wood did the most damage to the River Cats, going 3-for-4 with three runs driven in. After committing a first-inning error that contributed to a Sacramento run, Wood faced an 0-2 count with two outs in the bottom of the first.

He got the run back, driving a fastball to the opposite field for the Bees' first run. Salt Lake's first four runs all came with two outs.

"Any time you put up runs with two outs, you're going to help your ballclub," Wood said.

The Bees also got some help from the pitching staff in what Harper called a "bullpen day." With scheduled starter Joe Saunders pitching in Anaheim on Friday, reliever Steven Shell started, going four innings and giving up two runs. Matt Wilhite was strong in relief, giving up just one hit in three innings before giving way to Jones, who earned the save.

Salt Lake and Sacramento will play the second game of the series today at 2:05 at Franklin Covey Field. As for Evans, he said he's happy to be back in Salt Lake.

"It's still the same game," he said.

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E-mail: ashill@desnews.com

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