Bees Outlasted in Back-and-Forth Loss on Gold Medal Night
PCL Salt Lake Bees

Bees Outlasted in Back-and-Forth Loss on Gold Medal Night

Published on May 2, 2026 under Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Salt Lake Bees News Release


SOUTH JORDAN, UT - On a night honoring Utah's Olympic athletes, the Bees couldn't get to the finish line and will now look to salvage a fourth series split and second against the River Cats this season.

Sacramento 7, Salt Lake 4 WP: John Michael Bertrand (2-0)

LP: Brett Kerry (1-2)

SV: Michael Fulmer (3) Key Performers Jeimer Candelario: 2-3, 2B, 2 R, BB, K Nick Madrigal: 2-3, RBI, BB, K Niko Kavadas: 1-3, RBI, R, BB, K

Game Summary A bright and shiny first inning by both pitchers on Gold Medal Night started the fifth game of the set. Brett Kerry and John Michael Bertrand tabbed 1-2-3 innings to get things rolling on a warm night.

Kerry went 1-2-3 for the second straight inning, giving way to the Bees' first lead of the night.

Jeimer Candelario reached on a walk for the game's first baserunner. He moved to third on a Jose Siri sharp single and scored on a fielder's choice by Niko Kavadas to put the Bees up a run.

The visitors clawed right back in the following frame. Jake Holton led off with a single and Logan Porter doubled to put two in scoring position. Osleivis Basabe came through with his second round-tripper of the year, scoring all three.

After a four-hit night in the Friday night win, Denzer Guzman came through with an RBI single in the bottom of the inning. Guzman sent a screamer right past Bertrand's head into center field to get the Bees within one.

Grant McCray worked a walk to start the fourth inning. He stole second and was driven in by Jake Holton's line drive single into center to put Sacramento up a pair.

The metronome ticked back to Salt Lake's side in the home half. Candelario lined a double into the left field gap to start the inning. Siri bunted him to third, and Kavadas reached on a walk.

Trey Mancini came through with a sac-fly to center to get the home squad within a run.

Following a scoreless fifth, Grant McCray delivered for the River Cats off reliever Shaun Anderson. The speedy lefty squeaked a ball over the right field wall. It was the seventh against Salt Lake in three seasons against the Bees.

Two strikeouts started the sixth for Salt Lake. Kavadas singled and Mancini walked, leading to a Nick Madrigal single past Bryce Eldridge at first. A pair of singles opened the next inning. Victor Bericoto hit an RBI single to put Sacramento up two again. It was his fourth straight game with at least one hit.

The River Cats tacked on a run of insurance in the ninth. The Bees would go down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the ninth to put the River Cats up a game headed to the final game tomorrow.

Game Notes

- Salt Lake dropped Saturday's contest, moving to 5-6 against Sacramento this season.

One season ago, the Bees and River Cats evenly split their 24 regular season games, going 12-12 against each other. Should they win the series finale on Sunday, the Bees would secure their fourth split of the year and third consecutive (vs. Sugar Land, at Las Vegas), while evening the season series with the Golden State foes.

- Salt Lake tallied just one extra base hit coming on a double from Jeimer Candelario. It is the second time this series having just one extra base coming in game one of the series on April 28.

- After a second-inning single, Jose Siri has at least one hit in six of his last seven games.

He continues to see the ball well after last night's four-hit ballgame. The veteran has seven multi-hit games this season. Siri has hits in all eight contests he has appeared in against Sacramento this season, going 15-for-32 (.469) and a 1.389 OPS versus River Cats pitching. His 15 hits are the most against Sacramento in 2026 by a PCL hitter.

- A screaming single into center field in the third gave Denzer Guzman his 21st RBI of the season. Guzman finished last night with four hits and built right off of it. He sits tied for 7th in the PCL with his RBI number. The Dominican Republic native is batting 5-for-10 (.500) with two RBI and two runs scored to start the month of May.

- After grounding into a fielder's choice in the second, Niko Kavadas worked his 23rd walk of the campaign. He stays in second place in the PCL behind teammate Christian Moore. Kavadas notched his eighth hit in seven games against Sacramento in the bottom of the sixth.

- Shaun Anderson threw in his first game at the Triple-A level after nine games with the Halos. The veteran righty relieved Kerry after five full innings. Anderson finished with a strikeout in two innings.

- Nick Madrigal pushed his hit streak to three games, with a multi-hit effort, his second in three games. He also collected his 12th RBI of the season, with nine of those coming in games in Utah. Madrigal is batting .277 (13-for-47) in home contests, as opposed to 6-for-34 (.176) away from Salt Lake.

- In the fourth inning, Jeimer Candelario squeezed a double into the left field corner. It was his 90th at the Triple-A level in his career and second as a Salt Lake Bee. He scored the

Bees' first run in his first at-bat. Candelario scored twice tonight, his second multi-run game in 2026 (April 22 at Las Vegas); he's come across four times in this week's series against Sacramento.

- Houston Harding notched his first scoreless outing as a Bee and his first career Triple-A shutout frame. The southpaw walked one, but collected all three outs in the ninth inning.

- Zach Humphreys drew a walk in the fourth inning, later scoring on Denzer Guzman's single. The Texan has three free passes across his five appearances this season.

- Donovan Walton took his fourth pinch-hit at-bat tonight, popping out to the second baseman. The Bees are 2-for-6 (.333) this season in pinch-hitting scenarios.

- Trey Mancini's sac-fly in the fourth gave him his fifth RBI against Sacramento this season. The long-time major leaguer is hitting 9-for-26 (.346) with two doubles, five walks, and a homer.

Up Next

The finale of the six-game set kicks off on Sunday with Abejas Night, highlighting the various cultural aspects of the U.S. Hispanic and Latino community. First pitch between the Bees and River Cats is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. MDT from South Jordan, Utah.

Check out the Salt Lake Bees Statistics

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Pacific Coast League Stories from May 2, 2026


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