SOUTH JORDAN, UT. - Josh Lowe’s fourth-inning homer briefly tied the game, but Tacoma pulled away with a four-run seventh inning and added a two-run blast in the ninth to secure a 7-1 win. The loss forced Salt Lake to settle for a split of the six-game series with the Rainiers to close out the first half of the PCL campaign.
Tacoma 7, Salt Lake 1
WP: Jhonathan Diaz (5-5)
LP: Huascar Ynoa (2-2)
Key Performers
Josh Lowe: 1-3, HR, RBI, R, BB, K
Ben Gobbel: 2-3, 2B, BB
Arol Vera: 2-4
Game Summary
The Rainiers bounced back immediately after their difficult defeat yesterday, taking control in the opening frame. Tacoma secured an early one-run lead following a base hit, a successful sacrifice bunt, and an immediate RBI single before the Bees even came to the plate.
Zeroes filled the scoresheet until the bottom of the fourth when Josh Lowe crushed his ninth homer of the season. He sent the round-tripper 408 feet onto the right-centerfield cement patio to tie the early game score at one.
The scoreless stalemate through the fifth and sixth innings was broken in the seventh when Tacoma capitalized on a leadoff walk issued by Huascar Ynoa to Colin Davis. Following an error, an infield single allowed the Rainiers to reclaim the lead.
The advantage grew to 3-1 after Victor Labrada drove a single into right field. Before the inning concluded, Jhonny Pereda padded the Tacoma lead with a two-run double, leaving the Bees trailing 5-1 as they entered the bottom of the seventh.
Salt Lake couldn’t put anything on the board in the bottom of the frame, but in the top of the eighth Joey Lucchesi worked a shutdown inning.
Tacoma added two insurance runs in the top of the ninth when Patrick Wisdom launched a two-run homer, his 14th of the season. The blast pushed the Rainiers' advantage to 7-1, a margin that held firm as they clinched a split in the series.
Game Notes
- Salt Lake finished the PCL first half with a 39-35 record and 25-17 showing at home. The defeat resulted in the Bees’ sixth series split of the season and fourth in South Jordan. Salt Lake did not drop a six-game set at home in the first half, winning three of their last four series at The Ballpark of America First Square.
- Outfielder Josh Lowe followed his season-best Triple-A on-base streak, which ended on June 18, by continuing a new three-game stretch starting with a two-out walk in the first. He provided Salt Lake's lone score on his solo shot to the right-centerfield patio, marking the second time this series he has kickstarted the Bees' scoring with a solo blast. It was Lowe’s ninth home run of the year in 25 games with Salt Lake and seventh in the month of June. Lowe finished with a team-high six RBI in the series batting .333 with a 1.1.62 OPS.
- With a single Ben Gobbel extended his on-base streak to 15 games (starting May 30). The hit marked his 10th since joining Triple-A, and he has successfully recorded a hit in eight out of his first 10 games at this level. In the fourth, Gobbel notched his first double at Triple-A this season to secure his third multi-hit effort of the season.
- Veteran right-hander Shaun Anderson approached a major career milestone during his fifth Triple-A start of the year. Over three innings, Anderson struck out four batters while allowing one run on three hits. He now has 397 career strikeouts at the Triple-A level as he continues his pursuit of the 400-strikeout mark.
- Arol Vera snapped an 0-for-25 skid with a bloop opposite field single in the third inning. In his 15th game at the Triple-A level, the infielder recorded his fifth hit. In the seventh inning, Vera secured his first multi-hit game at the Triple-A level with a single. This performance marked his first game with multiple hits since May 16, when he recorded two knocks while playing for Rocket City.
- After Lowe’s solo blast in the fourth, Jeimer Candelario extended his on-base streak to five games with a walk. He added onto his on base push to lead off the eighth, with his second free pass of the game. It’s his first multi-walk game since June 10 at Reno.
- Salt Lake’s second pitcher of the game, Houston Harding recorded his 25th strikeout at the Triple-A level to end the fourth inning.
- Yolmer Sánchez extended his hit and on-base streaks to four games with a Texas leaguer single in the fifth inning. The veteran has hits in seven of his last eight games. He finished with the team's most hits in the series going 8-for-18 (.444) with five RBI and a 1.198 OPS.
- The Bees’ third pitcher of the game, Huascar Ynoa struck out three batters. It’s the fourth time this season he’s struck out three or more. His most in a game, seven, came on April 17 vs. Sugar Land.
- Logan Porter tallied his first caught stealing as a Bee. In his first action with Salt Lake, the catcher gunned Hogan Windish down to end the eighth inning. It’s the first time he’s caught someone stealing since May 22 as a member of Sacramento.
- Salt Lake’s last final pitcher of the night, Joey Lucchesi struck out three Rainiers. It’s the eighth time in 18 appearances with the Bees this season that he’s punched out three or more batters.
Up Next
The Bees will have Monday off before heading to Albuquerque for their first road series against the Isotopes this season. Salt Lake looks to carry the momentum from their previous encounter in South Jordan, where they took four out of six games. The series in New Mexico kicks off Tuesday evening, with the first pitch scheduled for 6:35 PM MDT.