Sacramento takes Portland with five-run ninth

Published on May 29, 2008 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Portland Beavers News Release


PORTLAND, Ore. - Wes Bankston broke a tie game in the top of the ninth with a three-run homer and the Sacramento River Cats erased an early four-run deficit and held back the Portland Beavers for a 12-7 victory Thursday night at PGE Park.

Bankston drove in four runs on the night, Jeff Baisley was 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs, and Travis Buck added a two-run triple in the five-run ninth for the River Cats, who have won 11 of their last 14 games.

After digging a 5-1 hole, Sacramento (34-20) took a 7-5 lead on the strength of a pair of three-run rallies in the sixth and seventh inning, but Portland came back to tie in the bottom of the seventh.

Nick Hundley and Brian Myrow hit solo homers, Chase Headley drew three walks and Chip Ambres drove in two runs for the Beavers (27-25).

Jay Marshall (1-0) worked 1 1/3 innings to get credit for the win.

Edwin Moreno (1-1) gave up all of the ninth-inning damage to suffer his first loss with Portland.

Down 5-1, Kevin Melillo sparked a three-run rally for the River Cats against reliever Mauro Zarate in the sixth with a solo home run, his fifth of the year. After Brooks Conrad walked, Carlos Gonzalez and Baisley hit RBI doubles to help Sacramento get within a run at 5-4.

In the seventh, Baisley singled home a run to tie it and Casey Rogowski's two-run double gave Sacramento a 7-5 lead.

Will Venable was hit by a pitch and the Beavers put the tying runs in scoring position on a double by Hundley. Venable scored on a wild pitch and Hundley scored from third on a sac fly by Vincent Sinisi to knot things at 7-7.

In his first start for Portland since the 2006 season, Dirk Hayhurst allowed one run and four hits over five innings and became the first Portland right-hander to strike out nine batters in a game since Tim Stauffer fanned nine on July 23, 2007. Hayhurst leads the Beavers with 54 strikeouts in 39 2/3 innings this season.

The Beavers took a 2-1 lead on solo homers by Myrow and Hundley in the second and doubled their advantage with RBI singles from Ambres and Venable in the third.

Ambres' RBI single scored Headley to up the lead to 5-1 in the fifth, but the River Cats fought back against the Beavers bullpen.

Sacramento broke the ice in the top of the second as Baisley doubled and scored on a two-out single by Bankston.

The Beavers and River Cats conclude their series Friday night at 7:05 p.m.

NOTES: Hundley was robbed of a potential second homer in the fourth when the left fielder Buck made a leaping catch at the top of the eight-foot wall ... third baseman Eric Chavez was removed from his rehab assignment with the River Cats and reinstated from Oakland's disabled list earlier in the day ... Portland manager Randy Ready was ejected after a dispute with the umpiring crew in the top of the seventh ... Beavers pitchers combined to strike out a season-high 14 batters.

Beavers Game File THURSDAY'S GAME: Sacramento 12, Beavers 7 WINNING PITCHER: Marshall (1-0) LOSING PITCHER: Moreno (1-1) SAVE: None HOME RUNS: Myrow (7), Hundley (8), Melillo (5), Bankston (7) FRIDAY'S GAME: Sacramento (Kirk Saarloos: 4-1, 3.04) at Portland (Cesar Ramos: 5-3, 6.42), 7:05 p.m.; live audio broadcast on KKAD AM-1550 and www.portlandbeavers.com. FRIDAY'S PROMOTION: The Beavers wrap up a four-game set with the River Cats on a Comcast Family Feast Friday presented by Zenner's and 1190 KEX at PGE Park. Throughout the night, a variety of discounted concession items will be available including $1 hot dogs, Dasani water and desserts.

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Pacific Coast League Stories from May 29, 2008


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