Big First Inning Lifts Salt Lake to Victory Over Oklahoma City

September 21, 2024 – Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Salt Lake Bees News Release

The Salt Lake Bees took home their second win of the week against the Oklahoma City Baseball Club on Friday evening, emerging victorious by a final score of 6-4 to even up the final series of the year at two apiece.

After it was Oklahoma City that jumped out to big early leads in each of the last two games, it was the Bees that flipped the script on Friday, putting up a crooked number in the opening frame to take control of things from the outset. The day started off in unique fashion, with the first four Salt Lake hitters drawing walks against OKC starter Jerming Rosario, a stretch culminated by a bases-loaded free pass taken by Chad Wallach to plate the Bees’ first run of the night. The real damage came immediately after this, as with the bases still loaded, Tucker Flint came up and lined a 2-2 cutter from Rosario into right field for a double that brought in two more runs before the first out had even been recorded. The frame was capped off by a sacrifice fly off the bat of Elliot Soto in the next plate appearance, bringing the Bees’ lead up to 4-0.

Now facing a deficit for the first time since Tuesday, Oklahoma City started to fight back, cobbling together a three spot of their own in the top of the fourth on a Kody Hoese RBI single, an Alan Trejo sac fly and an Alex Freeland run-scoring double to bring Salt Lake’s advantage down to just one. The Bees responded beautifully after this, however, piecing together another rally in the seventh to bring in a pair of needed insurance runs. The first of these scores came when Caleb Ketchup stole third base and then raced home on a throwing error by OKC catcher Diego Cartaya, and the second came when Willie Calhoun laced a ground ball through the right side that brought home Kyren Paris, who had advanced to third on the previous play. Oklahoma City did start to threaten in the game’s final frame when Freeland clubbed his third home run in as many days against reliever Hans Crouse, but this would prove to be it for the visitors, as Crouse settled in and finished the ninth with no issues to lock down his second save in the black and yellow.

The Bees will now try to make it two wins in a row over Oklahoma City in the penultimate game at Smith’s Ballpark on Saturday, with John O’Reilly set to make his second start with Salt Lake against rehabbing major leaguer Tony Gonsolin for first pitch at 6:35 p.m.

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