Locklear’s Career-High Five RBI Lead Tacoma to 12-7 Victory over Salt Lake

July 4, 2025

TACOMA, WA (July 3, 2025) - Tyler Locklear drove in a career-high five runs, including a grand slam, and Blas Castaño struck out a season-high seven batters as the Tacoma Rainiers (43-41/5-4) toppled the Salt Lake Bees (32-51/3-6) by a score of 12-7 in front of a season-high crowd of

The Rainiers wasted no time to open the scoring, plating four runs in the first inning. Leo Rivas roped the first pitch from Bees’ starter Dakota Hudson down the right field line for a leadoff double. Two pitches later, Rhylan Thomas singled to right field, pushing Rivas to third base. Harry Ford followed with an eight-pitch walk to load the bases for Tyler Locklear. Locklear hit a ground ball up the middle that the shortstop Scott Kingery made a diving stop on, getting the force out at second base, scoring Rivas to give Tacoma the 1-0 lead. With runners at the corners, Leody Taveras hit a fly ball to the right field corner that Matthew Lugo caught in foul territory, scoring Thomas to make it 2-0. After Victor Labrada singled to put runners at first and second, Austin Shenton hit a ball to the left-center gap that Kyren Paris dropped, allowing two runs to score. Shenton was thrown out at third on the play to end the inning.

Rainiers’ starter Blas Castaño retired the first six batters he faced before Salt Lake tied the game in the third inning. Chad Wallach doubled to the left field corner to lead off the inning and Tucker Flint doubled to right field, scoring Wallach to get Salt Lake on the board. Zach Humphreys was hit by a pitch to put runners at first and second base. Kingery followed with a double to score a pair of runs and tie the game at four. Castaño settled in and retired the next three batters to get out of the inning.

Tacoma struck back in the fourth inning with three more runs to take the lead back. Austin Shenton led off with a double to right field. Jack López singled on a ground ball to third base that Carter Kieboom could not corral, putting runners at first and second base. After Jacob Hurtubise popped out on a bunt attempt and Leo Rivas was called out on strikes, Rhylan Thomas hit a triple to right-center field to drive in two runs, putting Tacoma on top 6-4. Ford followed with a single back up the middle to score Thomas, extending the lead to 7-4. Hudson struck out Locklear to finish the frame.

Castaño cruised through his final two innings of work, retiring the final seven batters he faced while striking out a season-high seven without issuing a walk.

The Rainiers broke the game open in the sixth inning, plating five more runs. Hurtubise drew a leadoff walk and stole second base, leading to Rivas to drive him in with a single, his third hit of the game. Thomas and Ford drew back-to-back walks to load the bases and end the day for the Bees’ starter Hudson. Jack Dashwood entered in relief with the bases loaded and no outs and Locklear crushed an opposite field grand slam over the right field wall to give the Rainiers a 12-4 lead. Dashwood retired the next three batters in order to close the frame.

Salt Lake cut into the deficit in the seventh. Flint worked a one-out walk, advancing to second during Humphreys’ at-bat on a balk. Humphreys struck out, and Kingery followed with an RBI single to right field to make it 12-5. Holland flied out to right field to end the frame with no further damage.

Salt Lake drew closer in the ninth inning. Flint was hit by a pitch and Humphreys doubled to put runners on first and second with no outs. After Kingery struck out, Holland singled to bring in Flint. Kieboom grounded into a fielder’s choice, which scored Holland and cut the deficit to 12-7. That would be the final, however, as Tacoma reliever Jesse Hahn induced a flyout to center field from Kavadas to end the game.

Blas Castaño earned his team-best fifth win of the season, allowing four runs on five hits over 6.0 innings. All four runs and five hits he allowed came in the third and fourth innings.

Postgame Notes:

Harry Ford reached base in all five plate appearances tonight, notching two singles and three walks, along with an RBI. This marks the first time Ford has reached in each appearance while coming to the plate five or more times in a game, and he’s the third different Rainier to achieve the feat this season.
Blas Castaño recorded a season-high in strikeouts, as he set down seven Bees on strikes. The last time he struck out seven or more in a game was September 8, 2024, when he recorded 8 strikeouts against Albuquerque.
Tacoma’s nine consecutive wins at home against Salt Lake this season mark the first time since at least 2005 (furthest records are available) that Tacoma has gone 9-0 at home against a single team in a season. Their previous best was an 8-0 record versus Las Vegas in 2005. Only one other team has recorded more than nine consecutive wins against a single team at home in the last 20 years, which was achieved by the Charlotte Knights in 2012 when they went 10-0
Tyler Locklear crushed his first career grand slam in the sixth inning and the Rainiers’ third of the season. Two of the Rainiers’ three grand slams have come against Salt Lake (also: Spencer Packard’s grand slam on May 28).