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SALT LAKE CITY — Patrick Kivlehan hit a two-out, two-run double in the top of the 10th inning to propel the Tacoma Rainiers to a 7-5 extra inning win over the Salt Lake Bees at Smith's Ballpark on Sunday night.
It was the second straight night the Bees (47-52) and the Rainiers (58-42) went to extra innings, with the Rainiers winning both contests.
The game got off to a fast start as the Rainiers scored two runs in the top of the first thanks to a two-run home run by Daniel Vogelbach. It was his second home run in three days.
In the bottom half of the inning, Craig Gentry, who is on a rehab assignment with the Bees, led off with a double and later scored on an infield single by Rafael Ortega.
The Bees took the lead in the bottom of the second. Cliff Pennington, who is also rehabbing with the Bees, doubled to right field and drove in Cal Towey and Gentry to make it 3-2. Towey had singled earlier in the inning and Gentry reached on a fielder's choice. Nick Buss followed up the double by Pennington with an RBI single that made it 4-2.
In the top of the sixth, after walks to Stefen Romero and Dan Vogelbach and a single by Dario Pizzano that loaded the bases, Zach Shank tied the game up at four with a two-run double to left field.
One batter later, Ryan Strausborger gave the Rainiers the lead with a sacrifice fly that scored Pizzano and made it 6-5.
With two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning and trailing by a run, Bees manager Keith Johnson sent Ryan Jackson up to pinch hit with the tying run on base. After a rough night on Saturday night when he couldn't drive in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth, Jackson redeemed himself with a two-out single to right field that scored Kaleb Cowart from second and sent the game to extra innings.
Once again, extra innings were not friendly to the Bees. With one out, Rainier catcher Rob Brantly hit a pop up to short left field. It bounced off the glove of Nick Buss and it was an omen of what was to come.
Two batters later, with two outs, Kivlehan, who had struck out three times in the game, hit a ball down the right field line. Bees right fielder Cal Towey dove toward the Bees bullpen and looked to make the amazing catch. However, the ball popped out, which allowed Brantly and Vogelbach to score and make it 7-5.
The Bees had a chance in the bottom of the 10th as Cowart and Ortega each reached on two-out singles. Sherman Johnson, who homered in Saturday night's contest, represented the winning run but flew out to right center field to end the game.
The two teams will meet in the final game of the four-game set on Monday night, with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m. MDT.
Angels notes
Tyler Skaggs was scheduled to start on Monday for the Bees but is being called up to start for the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday. Skaggs was named PCL Pitcher of the Week last week after going 1-0 and striking out 14 in seven innings against Omaha. He struck out 12 batters in 5.2 innings against Iowa on Wednesday.
Angel Genao was sent back to the Orem Owlz on Sunday. Genao recorded his first hit (double), RBI and run scored on Friday night in a last-second call-up. 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
