Salt Lake Bees: Green earns redemption; Bees earn Game 1 win

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Nick Green of the Salt Lake Bees was pitching for the same team in the same ballpark with similar postseason pressure as 12 months earlier.

But the results were far different for Green and the Bees this time around.

Twelve months ago, Green was the hard-luck losing pitcher at Sacramento's Raley Field in Salt Lake's Game 5 loss in their best-of-five playoff series against the River Cats.

On Wednesday, however, Green earned the victory for the Bees — thanks to an offensive explosion by his teammates. Salt Lake pounded a franchise playoff record 19 hits in a 13-10 victory.

It was a far cry from how the Bees have played in recent seasons in Sacramento. The River Cats entered Wednesday night's game having beaten the Bees in 14 of the last 15 times at Raley Field — including all three games in the playoffs last season.

But Salt Lake infielders Matt Brown and Freddy Sandoval and catcher Bobby Wilson were simply too much for Sacramento's pitchers this time. In the first five innings alone, Brown and Sandoval had combined to go 7-for-7 with seven RBIs, six runs scored and three home runs. Wilson added three hits, including a homer and double.

It was enough to give Green plenty of breathing room, as he earned his first win over the River Cats in four tries this season.

A year ago Green, who had spent the entire regular season at Double-A Arkansas, was called up to the Bees just prior to the playoffs. And then he was thrown into the fire. His first Triple-A start was in that do-or-die Game 5 game. He pitched well, too, until he gave up a late, three-run homer in a 4-2 loss that featured strong pitching by both clubs.

Wednesday night's game was anything but a pitcher's duel, as both teams were hitting the ball hard.

And this time Green actually knew the names of his teammates.

"It's definitely different," said Green. "Last year I got called up and it was their team, it wasn't my team. I hadn't been a part of it. This year I am a part of this team. It's a different feeling and much more comfortable."