Bees stung by red-hot RedHawk bats

Two nights ago, the Oklahoma RedHawks dealt the Salt Lake Bees their first home shutout loss of the season. Saturday night, the RedHawks handed the Bees two more firsts in the 2006 season.

Salt Lake allowed season-highs in runs (14) and hits (17) in the 14-8 loss — the Bees' second-straight loss to the RedHawks.

Prior to Saturday, the most hits the pitching staff had allowed in a game was 13 and the most runs was eight.

"We just couldn't stop them," Salt Lake manager Brian Harper said. "They were swinging the bats good."

Injuries, sickness and the call-up of Jason Bulger didn't help the Bees' pitching staff.

"We were a little overworked and undermanned in the bullpen," Harper said.

Oklahoma first baseman Jamie Burke, who was 0-for-9 in his last three games, broke out of his slump by going 3-for-5 with two homers and five RBIs, while shortstop Joaquin Arias went 2-for-6 with a homer and four RBIs.

In all, the RedHawks tallied seven extra-base hits and four of those were homers.

Oklahoma trailed 5-1 after two innings, and managed to fight back and tie the score momentarily in the fifth, only to see the Bees (24-17) re-take the lead in the bottom of the inning at 6-5.

The RedHawks (17-25) broke the game open with three runs in the top of the sixth inning, which began on a solo homer by Burke. Four hitters later, Arias belted a two-run homer.

Salt Lake trailed by a run heading into the top of the ninth, but the RedHawks scored five runs on six hits, one of which was three-run homer by Burke.

Kasey Olenberger, the reigning Pacific Coast League pitcher of the week, suffered his first loss of the season (3-1) by giving up eight runs — all earned — on nine hits in 5 2/3 innings.

Reliever Marcus Gwyn allowed just one run in 1 1/3 innings before Matt Wilhite was tagged for five runs on seven hits in two innings.

Despite the loss, the Bees remain a half-game ahead of Portland, which lost to Memphis, 2-1 Saturday, for the PCL Pacific Northern Division lead. The RedHawks remain in the cellar of the PCL American Southern Division.

Adam Pavkovich drove in two with a homer in the second inning.

Nick Gorneault and Kendry Morales also drove in two runs each in the contest for the Bees.

The Bees concluded the four-game series with the RedHawks today at 2 p.m. at Franklin Covey Field. Steve Shell (0-1, 1.96 ERA) will get the start for Salt Lake, while Edinson Volquez (3-3, 5-18) will get the nod for Oklahoma.

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E-mail: jhinton@desnews.com