51s blow early lead, fall at Memphis for eighth straight loss

Zach Petrick pitched seven strong innings, and Dan Johnson hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the fifth inning to send the Memphis Redbirds past the 51s 4-3 in a Pacific Coast League game Wednesday night in Memphis, Tenn.

The Redbirds (28-26) won their fifth straight and dealt Las Vegas (29-25) its eighth straight loss. The 51s have scored 10 runs during the losing streak.

Petrick (4-3) shut down Las Vegas after trailing 3-0 three batters into the game. The right-hander gave up three runs, two earned, on seven hits and no walks and struck out seven.

Former 51s reliever Miguel Socolovich pitched a perfect eighth inning with two strikeouts, and Sam Tuivailala struck out three in the ninth to get his sixth save.

Las Vegas, which hadn’t scored three runs in a game since last Thursday, jumped to a quick lead Wednesday.

T.J. Rivera led off by reaching on a throwing error by shortstop Greg Garcia, Brooks Conrad followed with a single, and Matt Reynolds launched his third homer of the season for a 3-0 lead.

After that, the 51s went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position.

Memphis got a run back in the second. UNLV product Xavier Scruggs led off with an infield single and got to second on a throwing error by Las Vegas starter Logan Verrett. Scruggs went to third on a passed ball by Johnny Monell and scored on Garcia’s single.

Garcia hit a two-out bunt single in the fourth, moved up on a single by Jacob Wilson and scored on a single by Cody Stanley off reliever Scott Rice (1-1) to bring the Redbirds within 3-2.

Johnson’s two-out homer in the fifth off Rice, his fourth home run of the season, capped the scoring.

Verrett gave up two runs, one earned, on six hits and no walks and struck out three in 3 2/3 innings.

The 51s had chances to score late.

Wilfredo Tovar led off the seventh with a double and got to third on a two-out wild pitch. In the ninth, pinch hitter Travis Taijeron drew a one-out walk and got to second on a two-out wild pitch. In each case, Petrick and Tuivailala ended the inning with a strikeout.

Tovar and Conrad had two hits apiece for Las Vegas, which was outhit 9-7.

The teams play the third game of their four-game series at 5:05 p.m. today. 51s left-hander Darin Gorski (3-5, 5.67 ERA) will oppose Redbirds left-hander Nick Greenwood (3-1, 6.89).