The Salt Lake Bees traveled to Las Vegas to play the Las Vegas Aviators this weekend from May 10th to the 15th, coming out tied with a 3-3 series.
This series saw the Bees fighting against the Aviators for the number one seed in the Western Conference of the Pacific Coast League.
Pursuit of the Number One Seed
At the beginning of this series, the Bees had a brief one-game lead after game two, one win from tying for first place in their conference. However, they could not hold on to it. By the end of game six, the Aviators managed to keep their one-game lead.
With the majority of the season left to be played, the Salt Lake Bees are on the hunt to regain the coveted one seed.
The Player of the Game
The Bees outscored the Aviators 47-32 over the six-game series. While that cannot be done without a team, one player stood out.
Jo Adell was a major factor on the plate. Adell hit four home runs over the six-game series in games one, two, five, and six, respectively. He also had eight RBIs and managed eight walks. Adell was moved down to Triple-A this month from the Los Angeles Angels. That desire to improve his game was seen against the Aviators. With more consistency at the plate, Adell has a shot of returning to the big leagues.
Game One
The Salt Lake Bees started strong, winning the first game of the series 11-2 against the Aviators.
The Bees began the first inning with four runs, standing out against the Aviators’ zero runs. This lead continued into the fifth inning with a 10-0 lead.
Las Vegas finally put themselves on the board in the bottom of the seventh inning with two runs. This brough the score to 10-2. However, by the end of the game, the Aviators’ two runs and five hits were not enough to the Bees’ 11 runs and 13 hits.
Game Two
Salt Lake took another victory in game two of the series with a final score of 10-3.
The Bees set the bar high for the Aviators with one hit in the first inning, two hits in the third inning, and four hits in the fourth inning.
By the sixth inning, the Aviators began to score. However they fell short, scoring three runs and seven hits by the end of the ninth inning compared to the Bees’ 10 runs and 10 hits.
Game Three
The third game of the series brought Las Vegas their first win of the series with a 7-6 final score.
The first runs of the game came from the Aviators in the second inning, with the Aviators scoring 4 runs. The Salt Lake Bees responded by scoring two runs in both the fourth and fifth innings, tying up the game.
The tie was broken with the Aviators scoring three more runs in the sixth inning, bringing their lead to 7-4. While the Bees tried to respond by scoring a run in both the seventh and ninth innings, it wasn’t enough. The Bees racked in six runs and 11 hits however, the Aviators had seven runs and 10 hits, ultimately winning the third game 7-6.
Game Four
The Las Vegas Aviators tied the series 2-2, with game four’s final score of 5-2.
The Aviators kept the Bees off the board through the sixth inning, ending the sixth inning with a 3-0 lead. During the seventh inning, the Bees score their first run of the game.
In the eighth inning, the Las Vegas Aviators scored another 2 runs. They were followed by the Bees scoring one more run, bringing the final score to 5-2. This was the lowest-scoring game of the series for the Bees. They scored only two runs and four hits compared to the Aviators’ five runs and nine hits.
Game Five
Another dominant performance by the Bees in the fifth game tied the Bees and the Aviators for first in conference standings.
Through the first three innings, it was neck in neck. However, in the top of the fourth, the Bees brought the heat with a six-run inning. The Aviators tried to keep up, scoring another two runs, one in the fifth and one in the ninth, but the Bees scored four more runs before the end of the game.
The Aviators struggled in game five, scoring only three runs and five hits. The Bees soared with an 11-run, 11-hit game, with a final score of 11-3.
Game Six
In the final game of the series, the Bees choked. This lead to them losing the game and the series with a final score of 12-7 in game six.
Although the Salt Lake Bees put themselves on the board first scoring single runs in the second and third innings, the Aviators scored six runs in the third inning. This brought the Aviators’ lead to 6-2 at the end of the third inning.
At the top of the seventh, the Bees tied the game 7-7. However, after the seventh-inning stretch, the Aviators took a four-run lead and, the Bees did not have an answer for it.
The Bees scored seven runs and eight hits while the Aviators claimed their spot at the top of the pack with 12 runs and 13 hits.
The Salt Lake Bees finish the series with a record of 19-17, while the Las Vegas Aviators stay as the number one seed of the Western Conference of the Pacific Coast League at 20-16.
Featured image courtesy Brian Preece, KSL Sports