From Deseret News archives:
Tucson knocks off Bees
So it's no surprise that the two teams have been putting up big run totals through two games of their current series at hitter-friendly Franklin Covey Field. Saturday night it was Tucson's turn to earn the victory, 10-7, following Salt Lake's win on Friday.
In two games the Bees and Sidewinders have combined for 37 runs.
"I was hoping we could win the rest of them," joked Bees manager Brian Harper after his team's five-game winning streak came to an end.
It didn't take long for Tucson to get to Salt Lake starter Steven Shell. Before thousands of the 13,560 fans in attendance had gotten situated in their seats, the Sidewinders had already taken a 5-0 lead. Third baseman Brian Barden pounded a grand slam to right-center and two batters later Juan Brito blasted a solo homer off the foul post in right.
Salt Lake battled back with four runs in the second, as Curtis Pride and Erick Aybar each came up with run-scoring, two-out singles.
But Tucson kept the Bees from catching up with a four-run fourth. Alberto Callaspo cleared the bases with a based-loaded triple off of Shell and the Sidewinders opened up a 9-4 lead.
"I knew we could get back into the game and we did get back into the game," said Harper. "And then bam, boom, we were out of it again."
Salt Lake chipped away at the lead with a pair of runs in the fourth and a 400-foot solo homer to right by first baseman Dallas McPherson in the seventh inning. But the division-leading Sidewinders held off the challenges.
Tucson is now 63-36 and running away with the PCL's Pacific Southern Division. Salt Lake, meanwhile, fell to 59-41, but is still alone atop the PCL Pacific Northern Division.
"They have a solid team and so do we," said Harper. "If it stays the way it is, we'll play them in the playoffs."
The same two teams will first face each other again in a 2 p.m. game today. The series finale — with another fireworks show following — will be Monday night beginning at 7.
BEES WAX: Salt Lake's next two scheduled starting pitchers — Dustin Moseley and Joe Saunders — each earned their first Major League victories last week in Anaheim for the Angels. Both were called up, made one start and then were returned to the Bees . . . Chris Bootcheck's promotion to the parent Angels was brief as well. The pitcher was called up for one day — when he pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings on Friday — but was sent back down on Saturday to make room for starting pitcher Kelvim Escobar off the disabled list . . . Bees outfielder Curtis Pride was ejected for arguing about a called third strike on him during the fourth inning of Saturday's game.
E-mail: lojo@desnews.com
