Sacramento hammered three home runs in the top of the fifth inning Sunday afternoon and cruised to a 6-2 win at Franklin Covey Field.

The win evens the series at 2-2 and sends Salt Lake on its next eight-game road trip at 14-10 overall, still tops in the PCL's Pacific Northern Division. Salt Lake has lost two straight but looks to regroup in Portland against the Beavers tonight.

With Salt Lake up 1-0 in the top of the third and with two outs and men on first and third, River Cats leadoff man Kevin Melillo hit a hard shot back to the mound. Bees starter Pedro Liriano reached for the ball as it sailed over him and into the glove of shortstop Casey Smith, who got the force out at second.

The play would prove unfortunate for the Bees later on. Liriano worked a perfect fourth, but in the fifth, Jason Stokes hit a one-out home run to tie the game at 1-1. Two batters later with a runner on third, Sacramento's Antonio Perez lifted a shot onto the left field berm for a 3-1 Sacramento lead. Melillo followed with a single and he was brought home on J.J. Furmaniak's home run over the 420-foot mark in center field for a 5-1 'Cats lead.

"We were trying to get Liriano through the fifth inning," Bees manager Brian Harper said. "He suffered some swelling (in his fingers) and unfortunately it cost us. He just tried to field the ball as a natural reaction."

Liriano was tagged with five runs on eight hits. He walked none and struck out two in 4 2/3 innings of work.

Sacramento added a run in the seventh and the Bees added one in the eighth for the final 6-2 score.

Angels utility player Chone Figgins, on a rehab assignment, put Salt Lake up 1-0 in the first by doubling to left field, advancing to third on a fielder's choice, then scoring on Tommy Murphy's sacrifice fly to deep left.

Figgins completed his stint with Salt Lake and was to join the Angels in Kansas City today.

"There was some concern about his fingers," Harper said, "but he seems to be progressing OK."

Figgins finished the day 2-for-3 as the designated hitter with a run scored. He was lifted for pitch hitter Nick Gorneault in the eighth inning.

Sacramento starter Dan Meyer got his first win of the season, working five innings, surrendering just one run on four hits and striking out two and walking one. Three other River Cats pitched, giving up only one run and two hits, with Santiago Casilla working a 1-2-3 ninth inning to preserve the win for Sacramento (15-8).

"Sometimes the bats go quiet," Harper said. "It's not the way we wanted to close out the homestand."

Still, Salt Lake has yet to lose a series at home.

NOTES: Attendance at Sunday's game was 4,785 on a day with temperatures reaching 87 degrees.

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E-mail: jringwood@desnews.com