51s dealt 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.

LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL