Rainiers Drop Series Opener With Salt Lake

TACOMA, Wash. -- Logan Morrison tallied two hits as the Tacoma Rainiers dropped the team's series opener against the Salt Lake Bees 6-1 at Cheney Stadium on Tuesday.

Morrison ended the night two-for-three with a pair of singles and a walk in the fifth game of his Major League rehab assignment with the Rainiers. He accounted for the team's only run after scoring on a sacrifice fly hit by first baseman Jesus Montero in the bottom of the eighth.

Tacoma fell behind in the third inning and stayed there en route to suffering a fourth consecutive loss. Efren Navarro hit a three-run double with two outs and Roberto Lopez added an RBI single that gave the Bees a 4-0 advantage.

The Rainiers deficit grew to as large as 6-0 thanks to run-scoring singles hit by Matt Long in the fourth inning and Anderson De La Rosa in the eighth.

As a team, the Rainiers were limited to seven hits against Salt Lake. Along with Morrison, infielders Ty Kelly and Gabriel Noriega each recorded two-for-four nights at the plate. Noriega hit his 12th double of the season in the fifth.

Starter Jordan Pries (3-3) was dealt the loss after allowing a season-high five runs on eight hits in 5.2 innings. The right-hander struck out three and walked five in his eighth turn in the Rainiers rotation this season.

The Rainiers (21-29) host the second installment of the team's four-game series with the Bees (18-35) at 7:05 p.m. tomorrow, May 28. Right-hander Taijuan Walker (0-0, -.--) is expected to make a rehab start for Tacoma in the contest against Bees left-hander Brooks Raley (0-2, 11.37).

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