This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
C.J. Cron's return to Salt Lake City didn't last long.
The former University of Utah slugger was recalled by the Anaheim Angels on Wednesday after the team placed infielder Grant Green on the disabled list.
Cron's most recent stint with the Salt Lake Bees lasted just two games. But the rookie first baseman and designated hitter had his way with the minor-league pitching, going 5-for-8 in a Bees uniform.
But the Bees didn't miss Cron's bat too much Wednesday night.
Salt Lake tallied 18 hits to beat the Reno Aces 12-3 before a crowd of 12,020, who saw an offensive explosion at Smith's Ballpark before fireworks filled the night sky.
"Offensively all year, we haven't had a problem scoring runs," Bees manager Keith Johnson said. "Our problem has been keeping them off the scoreboard and the big inning. That's been our Achilles' heel all year."
On Wednesday night, it was Salt Lake that had the big inning.
The Bees batted around, sending 12 batters to the plate and scoring seven runs in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Roberto Lopez opened up the scoring for the Bees in the second inning, with a sacrifice fly to drive in shortstop Tommy Field. But he wouldn't stop there. The left fielder went 3-for-3 on the night, with two RBIs.
Lopez has enjoyed his time against the Aces. He's now 8-for-8 in the series.
Salt Lake's John Hester has liked Reno pitching, too. The catcher doubled in the sixth, scoring shortstop Tommy Field from first to give the Bees a 4-0 lead.
The Aces loaded up the bases in the top of the second inning, but starting pitcher Jarrett Grube managed to work his way out of the jam unscathed.
Grube improved to 6-6 on the year after allowing five hits over six shutout innings.
The Bees had a shutout heading into the ninth.
For Cron, the short stint in Salt Lake was aimed at reviving his slumping bat. The rookie had notched nine homers and 27 RBIs in the big leagues. But he was in a 3-for-26 slump when he was sent back down to Triple-A Salt Lake.
Taylorsville native John Buck is hoping for a spark himself.
The 34-year-old, who was released by the Mariners earlier this year, went 1-for-5 and had one RBI on Wednesday night.
Salt Lake (44-61) has taken two out of the first three games of the series with Reno. The two teams will meet again Thursday night.
Twitter: @aaronfalk