SOUTH JORDAN, UT. - Zach Humphreys’ swinging bunt single was enough to bring home good tidings and the game-winning run on Saturday’s Christmas in June Night in an 8-7 Salt Lake walk-off win. A crowd of 7,664 fans, the second largest in ballpark history, went home in a joyous spirit following the three hour, 15-minute thriller and postgame drone show.
Salt Lake 8, Tacoma 7
WP: Kaleb Ort (4-1)
LP: Gunner Mayer (0-1)
Key Performers
Zach Humphreys: 2-4, R, RBI, BB, 2K, Walk-Off Single
Yolmer Sánchez: 2-4, R, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, K
Josh Lowe: 2-3, R, 2 RBI, 2 BB, K
Nelson Rada: 1-2, 2 R, RBI, 2 BB
Game Summary
Everyone was into the festive spirit on Saturday night, especially Caden Dana. The Salt Lake starter, dressed in green pinstripes, needed only nine pitches to sit down the visiting Rainiers who donned appropriately red jerseys.
Zeros were gifted in the first and second frames, before Tacoma finally scratched across a run. An error, walk and double steal set up a sacrifice fly to allow the visitors to go up 1-0. Dana exited due to injury, despite recording the second out. Justin Dunn entered and stranded the inherited baserunner.
Salt Lake’s fortunes came alive with two outs in the third, as Josh Lowe drew a walk. Yolmer Sánchez made it count as he deposited a two-run homer into the right field alley to grab the lead for the Bees at 2-1; the shortstop collected his first longball in his last 30 games.
Tacoma cashed in with two outs in the fifth and retook the lead on a Ryan Bliss two-run homer. Bliss was responsible for the first three Rainiers runs, having previously tallied the sacrifice fly.
Again, the Bees mounted a two-out rally in the fifth, as four straight hitters reached. Sánchez collected his third RBI of the night on a double off the wall in left to tie the game at 3-3. Ben Gobbel walked to load the bases, but a strikeout left all three aboard.
The visitors had their own ducks on the pond in the sixth, but only brought across one via a double play. Nevertheless, the go-ahead run made it 4-3 Tacoma going to the late innings.
In the seventh, Salt Lake’s 2-3-4 hitters set the table, searching for a statement inning. Gobbel lifted a fly ball to right, good enough to bring Nelson Rada home to knot the score at 4-4. A strikeout fizzled the remainder of the threat, stranding two more runners.
Following a shutdown eighth from Tayler Saucedo, Salt Lake’s bats woke up in the bottom half as they have done so often in June. Ryan Nicholson reached on an error and swiped second. Then a walk parade began, as three straight Bees were gift-wrapped first base which culminated in an RBI for Rada to take the lead. Tacoma made a pitching change, ahead of Lowe for the second straight inning. The outfielder powered the first pitch he saw into center for a two-run single to provide insurance for Salt Lake. That would help the Bees take a 7-4 advantage into the ninth.
Saucedo got two quick outs, before surrendering a solo shot to Brock Rodden that cut the lead to 7-5. The next four Rainiers reached on two walks and two singles, evening the score at 7-7. Kaleb Ort got the final out to sway momentum to the bottom half.
Bryce Teodosio got the ninth inning rally going, drawing a one-out walk. He stole second, before taking third on a flyball. With two outs, Zach Humphreys stepped to the plate. Down to the final strike, the catcher hit a dribbler just in front of the plate. The throw to first was awry and not in time, allowing Teodosio to come home and send everyone home in a joyous mood.
Game Notes
- Salt Lake won its fourth one-run decision in its last eight games, moving to 12-5 overall and 10-3 at home in one run games.
- Salt Lake’s top four hitters in the order went 6-for-13 (.461) accounting for six of the team's eight RBI and five of the eight runs scored.
- Four of Salt Lake’s eight RBI came with two outs including the walk off single by Zach Humphreys. The Bees are batting .285 with two outs, third best in Triple-A with 174 total two out RBI, fourth in Triple-A.
- Tonight's walk-off victory brings Salt Lake to a 7-9 overall record and a 5-4 mark at home during Saturday matchups. This win ensures that Wednesday remains the only day of the week where the Bees hold a sub-.500 record at home. Saturday nights at home have been particularly thrilling lately, with three of the last four ending in walk-off fashion. In fact, four of Salt Lake's six total walk-off wins this season have occurred on the final day of the week.
- After a successful ABS challenge, Kyren Paris doubled to start the Bees at-bats. The infielder pushed his on-base streak to 14 games, dating back to his final four games at Double-A Rocket City. It is Paris’ longest on-base stretch since a 32-game streak between July 23-September 3, 2023 with the Trash Pandas (29 G) and Angels (3 G). He has three doubles in just 10 games with the Bees this season.
- Omar Martinez singled in his first chance tonight, ending an 0-for-10 skid. It was his first hit of the season when batting sixth in the lineup (previously 0-for-6).
- Bryce Teodosio has consecutive games with a hit, after recording a second-inning single. He has hits in 10 of his 16 games played in the month of June. Teodosio swiped his 13th bag of the year, going 13-for-14 on the base paths in 26 games with the Bees. His nine stolen bases in June lead the Pacific Coast League and tie DaShawn Keirsey Jr. of Gwinnett for the most in Triple-A this month.
- Josh Lowe’s two-out walk in the third made it back-to-back games reaching safely. He has gotten on base in 23 of the 24 games played with Salt Lake this season. Lowe scored on Yolmer Sánchez’s homer, marking two straight contests with a run. Another walk gave Lowe his fourth multi-walk game as a Bee and first since last Saturday (June 13 at RNO). Lowe came in clutch with a two-run single in the eighth to put Salt Lake up by three headed to the ninth. He swiped his fifth bag of the night, moving to a perfect 5-for-5 on the basepaths.
- Yolmer Sánchez homered to right center for his first longball in his last 30 games. The infielder last went yard on May 13 vs. El Paso. He later collected an RBI double, marking a three-RBI night. It is his second game this season with multiple extra-base hits (May 1 vs. Sacramento) and fourth total in his Salt Lake career. Sánchez tallied three RBI for the second time in 2026 (May 28 at Round Rock) and has 42 total this season, currently the team leader.
- Nelson Rada singled to extend his hit streak to four games and increase his on-base streak to seven games. He later came home as the tying run in the fifth, making it back-to-back contests with a run scored. Rada drew a seven-pitch walk that brought home the go-ahead run in the eighth, tallying his sixth RBI of the month. The outfielder had two walks, his 11th game with multiple free passes this season.
- Catcher Zach Humphreys led off the fifth with a single, improving to 6-for-15 (.400) when starting off an offensive inning. His second hit of the night was the clutchest of the contest, with his first walk-off knock since September 5, 2023 also against Tacoma. Humphreys tallied his fourth multi-hit effort of the month and first since June 10 at Reno.
- Ben Gobbel walked to move his on-base streak to 14 games, dating back to May 30. He has officially reached in more than half the games he’s appeared in 2026 (27 total games). Gobbel tied the game in the seventh on a sacrifice fly, marking his second straight game with at least one RBI.
- Brady Choban has tossed at least two innings in each of his last two appearances. In that timeframe, the righty has a strikeout and four runs allowed.
- In just 0.1 innings of work, Kaleb Ort was awarded his fourth win of the year. He hasn’t allowed a run in his last four outings and has two saves in that span. Ort has two strikeouts and one walk in 2.2 innings of work across that scoreless streak.
Up Next
The Bees and Rainiers close out the first half of PCL play Sunday with Father’s Day. Pregame catch on the field, along with a glasses retainer strap giveaway, highlight the series finale that starts at 6:05 p.m. MDT from South Jordan.