Salt Lake vs Sacramento Series Recap

Salt Lake vs Sacramento

Home Series #1

Mar. 31 - Apr. 5

Split 3-3

Game 1 - Salt Lake 13, Sacramento 5

WP: Samy Natera Jr. (1 - 0) LP: Trent Harris (0 - 1) SV: None

The Salt Lake Bees opened their second season at The Ballpark at America First Square on Tuesday night with a thrilling comeback, scoring 11 unanswered runs—10 of which came in the seventh and eighth innings—to secure a 13–5 victory. After the Sacramento River Cats jumped out to a 2–0 lead, Niko Kavadas and José Siri responded with back-to-back home runs in the fourth inning to tie the game. Sacramento later reclaimed a 5–2 advantage, but Salt Lake began chipping away in the fifth with an RBI double from Nelson Rada. The rally intensified in the seventh when Trey Mancini delivered a pinch-hit RBI single to cut the deficit to one. Denzer Guzmán then launched a clutch two-run homer to give the Bees the lead, and Siri added another RBI to cap a four-run inning. The floodgates opened in the eighth as Salt Lake poured on six more runs. Rada and Lugo each contributed RBI singles, while the team drew six walks in the inning—three with the bases loaded. In total, the Bees sent 21 batters to the plate over the final two innings (nine in the seventh and 12 in the eighth). On the mound, Samy Natera Jr. earned his first career Triple-A win, tossing two hitless, scoreless innings in relief while striking out three.

Game 2 - Sacramento 10, Salt Lake 5

WP: Marques Johnson (1 - 0) LP: Huascar Ynoa (0 - 1) SV: None

Salt Lake fell 10-5 on Wednesday evening to Sacramento, evening the six-game set at one game each. Sacramento scored once in each of the first three frames, while the Bees tallied lone runs in the second and third. Nelson Rada brought home Salt Lake’s first run with a RBI single past the second base bag. Chris Taylor’s first RBI as a Bee, a two-out base knock in the third, cut the River Cats lead to one. A six-run fourth ballooned the visitors’ advantage to 9-2, in an inning where 11 River Cats came to the plate. Salt Lake made a dent in the deficit in the sixth, highlighted by Vaughn Grissom’s two-run double for a 9-5 score. Thomas Gavello led off the seventh with a solo shot, Sacramento’s first home run of the 2026 campaign. Both bullpens threw zeros, entering the bottom of the ninth. Wade Meckler started the half inning with a nine-pitch walk, before the rains intensified forcing play to halt. The conditions remained the same over the next 17 minutes, forcing the game to be officially called and completed.

Game 3 - Salt Lake 6, Sacramento 5

WP: Dylan Phillips (1 - 0) LP: Braxton Roxby (0 - 1) SV: Jose Fermin (1)

The Salt Lake Bees took a 2-1 series lead with a 6-5 win over Sacramento on Friday night. The game began as a classic pitchers’ duel between Walbert Ureña and Carson Whisenhunt with neither team scoring in the first two innings as both pitchers struck out four batters each through the first two frames. Sacramento struck first with RBI singles from Jesus Rodriguez and Osleivis Basabe to take a 2-0 lead, but Salt Lake chipped away, tying the game at 2-2 with sacrifice flies from Nick Madrigal in the fifth and sixth innings. The Bees broke the game open in the seventh with a nine-batter rally fueled by five walks and a hit-by-pitch, building a 6-2 lead. Sacramento responded with a three-run eighth, but Salt Lake held on for a 6-5 victory, with Jose Fermin earning a four-out save. Jose Siri continued his hot start with a triple and RBI, while Madrigal recorded a career-high three RBIs.

Game 4 - Salt Lake 5, Sacramento 4

WP: Nick Sandlin (1 - 0) LP: Michael Fulmer (1 - 1) SV: None

Sacramento struck first in Game 1 of Saturday’s doubleheader with an RBI fielder’s choice from Jake Holton in the second, but Salt Lake answered in the third, taking the lead on a pair of bases-loaded walks. The River Cats regained control with three runs across the fourth and fifth innings, including two RBI singles from Nate Furman, to go up 4–2. The Bees chipped away in the fifth on an RBI groundout by Niko Kavadas and entered the seventh inning trailing 4–3. After opening the frame with back-to-back walks, Vaughn Grissom came through with an RBI single to tie the game. Sacramento quickly recorded two outs, but José Siri delivered in the clutch, lining a walk-off single to left to give Salt Lake a 5–4 win.

Game 5 - Sacramento 7, Salt Lake 1

WP: Wilkin Ramos (1 - 0) LP: Hunter Strickland (0 - 1) SV: None

Sacramento took control early and never looked back in Game 2 of Saturday’s doubleheader, rolling to a 7–1 win. The River Cats jumped out to a 5–0 lead through three innings, highlighted by a four-run third that included a two-run double from Buddy Kennedy, an RBI triple by Victor Bericoto, and an RBI single from Nate Furman. Salt Lake didn’t record a hit until the fifth inning when Trey Mancini led off with a single, and later came around to score on Chris Taylor’s RBI knock to get the Bees on the board. However, that would be their only run of the game. Sacramento added two more in the sixth behind Jake Holton’s RBI double and a sacrifice fly from Drew Gilbert, sealing the 7–1 victory and evening the doubleheader.

Game 6 - Sacramento 9, Salt Lake 5

WP: Will Bednar (1 - 0) LP: Nick Jones (0 - 1) SV: Gregory Santos (1)

Sacramento struck first for the sixth time in the series in Sunday’s finale, jumping ahead on a three-run homer by Victor Bericoto in the opening inning. Salt Lake chipped away from there, starting with a leadoff home run by Trey Mancini in the second before adding another run in the fourth on an RBI groundout from Sebastián Rivero to make it 3–2. The Bees took their first lead in the sixth, as Yolmer Sánchez drove in a run on a groundout and Christian Moore followed with a go-ahead two-run double to put Salt Lake up 5–3. Bees pitching held Sacramento scoreless after the first, carrying that advantage into the eighth inning. The River Cats rallied late, opening the eighth with back-to-back singles before Bericoto delivered an RBI double. Grant McCray tied the game with a sacrifice fly, and Jake Holton gave Sacramento the lead with an RBI single to cap a three-run inning. Sacramento added three more in the ninth, highlighted by Will Brennan’s three-run homer, to pull away for a 9–5 win and earn a series split.

Notable Performers

• Vaughn Grissom: 9-21 (.429), 2 2B, 3 RBI, R, .979 OPS

• Jose Siri: 7-15 (.467), HR, 3B, 4 RBI, 3 R, 1.329 OPS

• Trey Mancini: 5-14 (.357), HR, 2B, 7 R, 2 RBI, 1.114 OPS

• Chris Taylor: 4-10 (.400), 3 R, 2 RBI, .900 OPS

• Nick Sandlin: W, 2 G, 2.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, H, 0 R, BB, 2 K

• Jose Fermin: SV, 3 G, 3.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 2 H, 0 R, BB, 2 K

• Tayler Saucedo: 3 G, 5.1 IP, 0.00 ERA, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K

• Samy Natera Jr.: W, 2 G, 3.2 IP, 0.00 ERA, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 K

Upcoming Series

Salt Lake Bees vs Reno Aces

Tuesday, April 7 - 7:05 p.m.

Wednesday, April 8 - 7:05 p.m.

Thursday, April 9 - 7:05 p.m.

Friday, April 10 - 7:05 p.m.

Saturday, April 11 - 5:05 p.m.

Sunday, April 12 - 2:05 p.m.