Salt Lake holds off late Chihuahuas rally, 5-3

The El Paso Chihuahuas scored two runs in a ninth-inning rally Saturday, but had two runners on base at the end of the game in their 5-3 loss to the Salt Lake Bees at Smith’s Ballpark. The Chihuahuas have split the first two games of the series in Salt Lake.

Bees starting pitcher Jarrett Grube lasted seven innings and allowed only one run, which scored on Cody Decker’s fifth-inning home run, his tenth of the season. Decker is 4-for-9 with four RBIs in the first two games of the road trip. El Paso starting pitcher Juan Oramas retired the first ten batters he saw, but Salt Lake adjusted the second time through the lineup, scoring twice in the fourth inning and three times in the fifth.

Four of the first five Chihuahuas’ ninth-inning batters reached base, with runs scoring on Jeff Francoeur’s RBI double and Jonathan Galvez’s sacrifice fly. The Chihuahuas rally fell short when Yoslan Herrera got Decker to fly to center field, ending the game. The loss dropped El Paso’s road record to 21-25.