Cruz, tied with Albuquerque's Dallas McPherson for the overall minor league lead with 34 home runs, turned in his fourth two-homer game of the year (he also had a three-homer night on Saturday) as Oklahoma won its fifth straight road game and improved to a season-best 15 games over .500 at 60-45. The Bees (60-44) have lost three straight and five out of six. Oklahoma opened a 4-0 lead in the fifth with its second four-run inning of the series, capped by Cruz's first homer. The Bees, who hit four home runs to account for all five of their runs, tied the score with a run in the fifth and three in the sixth. Nate Gold hit his second homer in as many games to put Oklahoma back in front 5-4 in the eighth before Sean Rodriguez went deep as a pinch hitter against Kiko Calero in the ninth to tie it 5-5 and force extra innings. Cruz, who has nine hits since the break including eight home runs (seven solo shots), led off the 10th with a towering homer to left off Kevin Jepsen (0-3) who took the loss. Calero (2-1) picked up the win. Game three of the series is Thursday at 7:05 MDT with former Salt Lake Stinger Brain Gordon making his first pitching appearance in his one-time ballpark. Dustin Moseley is due to start for the Bees. |
