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Sacramento River Cats

Rivalry Weekend Opens with Dramatic Walk-Off

May 28, 2016 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Sacramento River Cats News Release


WEST SACRAMENTO, CA - Sacramento Orange and Oklahoma City Blue clashed Friday night at Raley Field as the Giants/Dodgers rivalry invaded Triple-A in a dramatic way. It took nearly three and a half hours and two River Cats ejections, but the Sacramento River Cats (22-28) walked off winners 5-4 on an Oklahoma City Dodgers (24-22) error in the bottom of the 11th.

With one away in the bottom of the 11th, centerfielder Gorkys Hernandez lined a double down the first base line to put himself in scoring position. Rather than face Ramiro Pena, who already had an RBI on the night, the Dodgers chose to put him on base, creating a double-play opportunity.

It seemed that the plan would work perfectly as Mitch Delfino grounded into what looked like an inning-ending double play to first baseman O'koyea Dickson. Dodgers pitcher Grant Dayton muffed the return throw as he covered first base and the ball rolled away toward the visiting dugout. Without missing a step, Hernandez bolted from third, sliding in ahead of the throw to score the game's winning run.

The dramatic finish was far from the only fireworks on the night, though. Tied 4-4 in the bottom of the ninth, clean up hitter Mac Williamson was called out on strikes by home plate umpire John Libka. The powerful right-handed hitter disagreed with the call and voiced his disagreement as he walked back to the dugout. Libka had heard enough from the outfielder and tossed Williamson from the game, invoking the fury of River Cats manager Jose Alguacil. When all was said and done, Williamson and Augi had both been ejected from the game. The ejection was Williamson' first of the season and for Alguacil, his third.

Despite it's dramatic close, the game was relatively straightforward for the first six innings. Sacramento starter Ty Blach was on a roll, facing just one over the minimum through three innings. The offense staked him to an early 4-0 lead through three innings, but Blach couldn't make the lead stick, giving up two in the fourth and another two in the sixth.

For the offense, both Williamson and Pena went 2-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI. The production came from top to bottom as five different River Cats scored while each RBI came off a different bat. There was certainly room for improvement, though; the team was just 3-for-17 with runners in scoring position on the night.

Game two of this rivalry series will get underway tomorrow night with first pitch set for 7:05 p.m. The River Cats will turn to RHP Chris Stratton (4-4, 6.60) as the Oklahoma City Dodgers send RHP Ross Stripling (0-0, No ERA) to the mound. The game can be heard live online at rivercats.com and again on the air at ESPN 1320 following the conclusion of the Warriors' Game Six.

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