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SALT LAKE CITY — Tacoma Rainiers left fielder Stefen Romero stepped to the plate in the top of the 11th with the go-ahead run on second base. Romero then proceeded to exit stage left by hitting a three-run home run that helped the Rainiers defeat the Salt Lake Bees 4-1 in front of 13,128 fans at Smith’s Ballpark on Saturday night.
For the first eight and a half innings, it was a pitchers' duel. Tacoma starter Zach Lee didn’t allow a hit through five innings. In fact, Lee only allowed two base runners on back-to-back walks in the bottom of the second inning.
Salt Lake starter Chris Jones was just as good. He only allowed two runners to reach base through five innings as well. D.J. Peterson reached on an error by Bees first baseman Kaleb Cowart in the top of the second and Zach Shank reached on a one-out single in the top of the third.
Action picked up in the top of the sixth. After a leadoff single by Shank, Jones got a ground ball to second off the bat of Tyler Smith that should have been an automatic double play. However, Smith hustled down the line to beat the throw from Bees shortstop Brendan Ryan. Two batters later, Smith scored to make it 1-0 on a Guillermo Heredia two-out single to center. Heredia was thrown out when he tried to advance to second when the throw to home was cut off by Cowart.
But Sherman Johnson tied the game at one in the top of the sixth with a solo home run over the right field fence. It was the second home run in as many days at Smith’s Ballpark for the Bees.
For the next four innings, it was a back and forth chess match. Both bullpens held strong and didn’t allow a run.
The Bees had a great chance to win the game in the bottom of the ninth when they loaded the bases with one out. Ryan Jackson ran the count to 3-1 and some might say he should have let the 2-1 pitch hit him, which would have won the game for the Bees. However, on the 3-1 pitch Jackson ground into the 5-4-3 double play to end the inning.
The missed opportunity came back to bite the Bees two innings later. In the top of the 11th, the Rainiers took the lead for good. With two outs, leadoff hitter Daniel Robertson hit a double to the left center field gap. Ryan Strausborger then reached when he got hit by a pitch. Romero followed that up by hitting a bomb that might still be going and gave the Rainiers a 4-1 lead.
The Bees tried to mount a comeback in the bottom half of the inning. Cowart reached on a one-out single and then stole second to get in scoring position. Two batters later, Cal Towey reached on a walk to bring the tying run to the plate.
It might be safe to say Ryan Jackson wishes he could have this night back. After working a 3-2 count on Rainier closer Blake Parker and fouling off four straight pitches to stay alive, Jackson then watched strike three go down the middle to end the game.
Jones had his best start of the season for the Bees. He gave up one run on three hits, one walk and two strikeouts in 6.0 innings pitched. Jones had given up 34 earned runs in his previous six starts.
The two teams will meet in the third game of the four-game set on Sunday evening at 7:05 p.m. MDT at Smith’s Ballpark. The Bees will look to split the series now as the Rainiers have taken the first two games of the series. Kyle McDonald is an avid sports fan, especially for the Chicago Cubs and the Utah Valley University Wolverines. He is currently a communication major at UVU and will graduate in the spring of 2017. Email him at kyleuvu2014@gmail.com
