Trio Of Home Runs Leads Bees To Home Win Over Las Vegas
Apr 14, 2022, 9:17 PM
A Salt Lake Bees cap rests on a glove in the dugout before a game between the Salt Lake Bees and Reno Aces on Sunday, Sept. 1, 2019. (Courtesy of Deseret News)
(Courtesy of Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY – An eighth-inning solo home run from Dillon Thomas proved important as the Bees survived an Aviators 9th inning rally to win 5-4.
The Bees (5-4) hosted the Aviators (5-4) in game three of a six game series at Smith’s Ballpark on Thursday, April 14.
Left-hander Jhonathan Diaz (0-0, 2.25) took the hill for his second start of the season facing Aviators righty Brian Howard making his first start of 2022.
With Michael Stefanic on first after a one out single, Matt Thaiss hammered a 1-2 pitch over the right field wall, giving the Bees a 2-0 lead. It was Thaiss’ first home run of the season.
Thaiss getting us started early👏 pic.twitter.com/Y1GjmKZDcx
— Salt Lake Bees (@SaltLakeBees) April 15, 2022
Las Vegas cut the lead in half when Christian Lopes lined a single to center that plated Mickey McDonald.
Diaz got the first quality start of the season for the Bees by throwing 6+ innings. Diaz was pulled in favor of Andrew Wantz after walking the first two Aviator batters in the seventh. McDonald picked up his second RBI of the day with a sac-fly to left that scored Vimael Machin, tying the score 2-2.
Another 2 on the board🤩 pic.twitter.com/pXwDGPFIIi
— Salt Lake Bees (@SaltLakeBees) April 15, 2022
In the bottom half of the seventh, Luis Rengifo put the Bees back on top with a 403-foot home run that scored David MacKinnon. It could have been a three-run shot but Orlando Martinez was picked off at second base earlier in the inning after straying too far from the bag on a secondary lead.
Vegas struck again in the eighth, loading the bases with nobody out against Wantz. Machin brought Lopes home with a sac-fly to center. After striking out Dermis Garcia for the second out of the inning, Bees manager Lou Marson opted to bring in Jonathan Aro to face Dalton Kelly. Kelly put a charge into one but Orlando Martinez made the catch on the warning track to end the threat.
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Dillon Thomas staked Salt Lake to a 5-3 lead with a solo blast to right-center, his first of the season, that measured 430 feet.
Aro gave up a run in the final half-inning but still picked up the save, striking out Vince Fernandez to end the game.
Wantz got the win, improving to 1-1. Bryce Conley fell to 0-2 while Aro got his first save of the season.
The Bees and Aviators are back it on Friday evening at Smith’s Ballpark with first pitch scheduled for 6:35 p.m. (MDT). All Bees games are aired on 1280 The Zone.
