Stingers snap losing skid

It took a little bit of old and a little bit of new, but the Stingers finally broke their losing ways.

Using a quality start from new call-up Corey Lee and some clutch hitting in the late innings, Salt Lake ended its franchise worst nine-game losing streak. The Stingers defeated the Portland Beavers 7-4 before a capacity crowd Saturday night at Franklin Covey Field.

Although he didn't get the decision, an all-too-familiar happening with the team lately, Lee set the tone early and gave the team the boost it needed.

"He had good command in the early innings, and really came out strong," said Salt Lake manager Mike Brumley. "It was clutch for him to go out and give us five strong innings. We have really needed the good starts."

If Lee was a new boost for the team, Shane Halter gave the team a veteran's calming presence and example. The 34-year-old Halter, with seven years of major league experience, was just designated for assignment from the Stingers' parent club, the Anaheim Angels. He made an immediate impact.

Adam Riggs hit a double in the first inning, and in Halter's first at-bat, he lined a shot off the right field wall for an RBI double.

"(Halter's) a quality guy. He's looking to get some more at-bats down here because the club has big plans for him later," Brumley said. "He is a professional and it will be good for our club to have him around."

Dallas McPherson continued the first-inning rally by hitting a towering blast about 400 feet to right field, scoring two runs and giving the Stingers an early 3-0 lead.

Portland evened the score by tallying runs in the third and fourth innings. Freddy Guzman hit an RBI triple in the third, and ex-Buzz man Brian Buchanan hit a solo home run in the fourth. Ben Risinger finished the scoring with a run-scoring single.

Curtis Pride manufactured a run in the bottom of the fourth after hitting a single, advancing on a groundout, and ended by stealing third and scoring on a throwing error. Portland again tied the game in the sixth on a RBI single from Jake Gautreau.

Lee's start was nice for the team, but the starting pitching has not been the biggest problem for the team. Seven of the team's nine losses have come from the bullpen. Brandon Emanuel entered the game on a personal 12-game losing streak. He lost his last four decisions last season and had dropped eight straight this year. The nightmare is over. Emanuel was the winning pitcher after Salt Lake pulled away in the late innings.

It was an RBI single by Riggs in the seventh inning that proved to be the game winner. Alex Pelaez and Wil Nieves both added RBI singles of their own to provide insurance runs in the eighth. Derrick Turnbow picked up the save.

NOTES: Saturday has been the Stingers' lucky day. The team is 8-5 in games played on Saturday. The club's only other day in which it possesses a winning record is Tuesday (8-7) . . . Alfredo Amezaga has again been called up to the Angels, which opened the space for Shane Halter. The Stingers reached a new low before Saturday's win when they hit 25 games below .500. The team's previous record under .500 was 10 games.