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SALT LAKE CITY — El Paso catcher Austin Hedges put on a power display on Sunday afternoon at Smith's Ballpark. Hedges hit two three-run home runs and racked up eight RBIs to help the Chihuahuas earn a series split with an 11-2 win over the Salt Lake Bees in the final game for both teams before the All-Star break.
"He just doesn't give away at-bats," Bees manager Keith Johnson said of Hedges. "He is just a good hitter. He doesn't give away at-bats. He is a tough out, and it's going to be interesting to see how his year goes."
The Bees finished the first half of the season with a 42-46 mark, good for third in the PCL Pacific Southern Division. El Paso improved to 53-37 and leads the Pacific Southern Division by 6.5 games.
Hedges' eight-RBI day started in the top of the first when he singled to center and drove in Alexi Amarista and Luis Urias, who had walked and been hit by a pitch earlier in the inning.
In the top of the second, Hedges hit his first three-run bomb of the day over the left field fence that pushed the Chihuahua lead to 6-0.
The catcher from San Diego, who wasn't selected to play in the Futures All-Star Game or the Triple-A All-Star game, must have felt the need to show he belonged.
He did that in the top of the third when he hit his second three-run bomb that gave the Chihuahuas a 9-0 lead.
The Chihuahuas tacked on a run in the top of the fifth on a solo home run by Urias that made it 10-0. Urias reached base six times in the game — three walks, two hits and being hit by a pitch.
The Bees got two runs back in the bottom of the eighth on an RBI double by Nick Buss and a sacrifice fly by Kaleb Cowart.
But Amarista put the finishing touches on the win with a solo bomb that cleared the sidewalk over the right field fence to put the final tally at 11-2.
Quentin Berry had a nice day at the dish for the Bees as he reached base three times via two walks and a single. Berry also recorded a stolen base in the first inning, which was the 100th of the season for the Bees.
The Bees are off until Thursday, July 14, due to the All-Star break. They will travel to Omaha to take on the Storm Chasers to start the second half of the season. 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
