Five Homers Not Enough For Redhawks

The Oklahoma City RedHawks hit five home runs in game for the first time in nearly five years, but it wasn't enough to stave off a late comeback by the Tacoma Rainiers, who won for the third straight day in extra innings, 9-8, at Cheney Stadium.

The Rainiers (36-41) trailed 8-4 and had a runner at first with two outs in the eighth inning before staring their rally. Humberto Quintero singled, and Abraham Almonte followed with a walk to load the bases.

Michael Saunders stepped up next and delivered a bases-clearing double to left field to pull Tacoma within one. Saunders, the Seattle Mariners outfielder currently on a rehab assignment, finished 4-for-5 with two doubles.

Fellow rehabber Corey Hart followed Saunders with a game-tying triple. After an intentional walk to Justin Smoak, RedHawks pitcher Jason Stoffel got Xavier Nady to fly out to end the inning.

The RedHawks (42-37) loaded the bases in the ninth inning with one out, but Rainiers reliever Brandon Maurer struck out both Gregorio Petit and Preston Tucker to keep the game tied.

The Rainiers would put the potential winning run at second base with one out in the ninth, but Stoffel was able to strand the runner at second and push the game to extra innings for the third straight day.

The RedHawks could not take advantage of one-out double by Matt Duffy in the 10th, as Maurer (1-0) was able to keep the RedHawks off the board again.

The Rainiers put runners at first and second with one out in the bottom of the inning. After Justin Smoak grounded out, Nady was given another chance with the wining run at third.

This time Nady would convert against Stoffel (0-2), lining a single to left field, as the Rainiers walked off with a win for a third straight day.

For the first time this season, the RedHawks dropped the first three games of a road series and will subsequently lose their first road series of 2014. They have lost four of their last six games overall, and have led by at least three runs in three of those contests.

Monday marked another first, as the RedHawks hit five home runs for the first time in nearly five years. They left the park five times for the first time since Aug. 24, 2009 in a 10-4 win at Omaha.

L.J. Hoes hit the first one of the night when he connected on his first home run in a RedHawks uniform. Hoes lined a 3-2 pitch the opposite way over the right field fence to put the RedHawks in front 1-0 in the first inning.

Both teams scored twice in the fourth inning. The RedHawks powered their way to a pair of runs on back-to-back home runs by Domingo Santana and Marc Krauss.

Tacoma also got a home run for one of their two runs in the frame, as Nick Franklin hit a solo shot to right field to make it 3-1. Chris Taylor and Gabriel Noriega followed with back-to-back doubles to pull the Rainiers within one run.

The RedHawks added to their lead in the fifth. Max Stassi led off with a triple to deep center field, and Duffy followed with a sac fly to extend the lead to 4-2.

The Rainiers tied it in their next at-bat when Smoak launched a two-run homer out to left field.

Petit put the RedHawks back in front in the sixth. With Krauss aboard at first, Petit sent a line drive over the left field fence for his ninth home run of the season, giving Oklahoma City a 6-4 advantage.

On the first pitch of the seventh inning Duffy sent a solo home run to right field for the fifth dinger of the night.

Duffy added his third RBI of the night in the eight with a groundout to score Petit, which put the RedHawks in front 8-4.

The RedHawks finish their series in Tacoma Tuesday night at 8:05 p.m.