Parker's 10th-Inning Homer Leads Isotopes To Win

NEED TO KNOW: First baseman Kyle Parker smashed a leadoff home run in the top of the 10th inning to pave the way to an Albuquerque Isotopes (24-33) 6-5 win against the Salt Lake Bees (25-31) at Smith's Ballpark in Salt Lake City, Utah, Sunday afternoon.

THE TURNING POINT: The Bees took a quick lead with two runs in the first, but the Isotopes responded with a five-run third. Kyle Parker singled in a pair ahead of Dustin Garneau's three-run bomb. Salt Lake managed to scratch back into the game with one run in the fifth and two in the seventh, but Albuquerque would have the last laugh. Parker blasted the first pitch of the 10th inning high over the center field wall to put the Isotopes ahead 6-5 for good.

PARKED PARKED IT: First baseman Kyle Parker turned in a 3-for-4 day that included a two-run single and a solo home run. He also drew a walk. It is his second-straight multi-hit game and third in his last four outings. In Parker's last 24 games, he is hitting .396 (38-for-96) with 21 runs scored, four doubles, a triple, five homers and 23 RBI.

GO-GO-GARNEAU: Catcher Dustin Garneau also mashed a homer, a three-run shot in the third inning. It was his fifth of the season, and he finished the day 2-for-5 with a run scored and three RBI.

LET'S CALL IT A STREAK: With the win, the Isotopes have now won three of their last four games and five of their last nine. During that span, they have climbed to within 5.5 games of the first-place Las Vegas 51s after having been 11 games out just 10 days ago.

DOUBLE THE FUN: Albuquerque turned a pair of double plays on Sunday, including a clutch twin killing in the bottom of the ninth to erase a leadoff single and send the game to extra innings. The Isotopes have now turned a Pacific Coast League leading 70 double plays. In their last nine games, the Topes have turned 23 double plays, 10 of which were of the 6-4-3 variety.

ON DECK: The Isotopes and Bees will plays games two and three of their four-game series in a doubleheader beginning at 5:05 p.m. MT on Monday. Left-hander Yohan Flande (2-0, 5.91) is scheduled to start game one for Albuquerque, and Left-hander Aaron Laffey (1-2, 5.17) is scheduled to start game two. Salt Lake will send left-hander Andrew Heaney (5-2, 3.73) to the mound in game one and right-hander Steven Hensley (2-3, 8.54) in game two.

IN THE HOLE: After their four-game stop in Salt Lake, the Isotopes will travel to Tacoma for a four-game set with the Rainiers beginning June 11 at 8:05 p.m. MT. Albuquerque will enjoy an off day in Tacoma on June 10.