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PCL1 Sacramento River Cats

Blackburn's Blip All Grizzlies Need in 4-3 Defeat

June 16, 2016 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Sacramento River Cats News Release


West Sacramento, CA - It took one swing of the bat Wednesday night for the Fresno Grizzlies (29-35) to beat the Sacramento River Cats (26-41) 4-3 at Raley Field. Clayton Blackburn was nearly unhittable for six of his seven innings tonight, but a grand slam in the fifth inning was all the Grizzlies needed to win their third-straight against the River Cats.

Blackburn was perfect tonight through his first four innings, not allowing a baserunner while striking out one on 49 pitches (29 for strikes). The fifth inning was a different story however, as the right-hander allowed three of the first four Grizzlies batters to reach safely to load the bases.

So far this year, Blackburn had only allowed one hit in six at-bats in bases-loaded situations. Tonight however, with shortstop Jack Mayfield at the dish, the 23-year-old left his 1-1 fastball up in the zone, resulting in the first grand slam hit against River Cats pitching this season. Coming into tonight's game, he had only allowed one earned run in his two starts this month, good for a June ERA of 0.68. After tonight, that number is now 2.21 and his ERA for the season is now 3.55.

The fifth inning would overshadow the other six put forth by Blackburn, as he allowed just one hit while striking out three. He finished with a season-high 100 pitches (63 for strikes), while throwing first-pitch strikes to 14 of his 26 batters faced.

The Sacramento offense was lethargic to begin the game, registering just two hits in the first four frames. Centerfielder Gorkys Hernandez was the key to the offensive ignition, recording all three RBIs tonight. Hernandez's sacrifice fly in the seventh inning was the first run scored by Sacramento after the fifth inning this series.

Other than Hernandez, second baseman Juan Ciriaco was the only other River Cats hitter with two hits on the night, as the two combined for four of the team's eight hits. Ciriaco scored two runs scored and hit his first triple of the year, reaching base safely in all four of his plate appearances. Shortstop Rando Moreno, making his eighth start for Sacramento, smacked his first extra-base hit in the third inning. Moreno finished 1-for-2 with two walks and a run scored, bringing his Triple-A average up to .250.

Tomorrow night will be the fourth and final game of the series as Sacramento tries to avoid their fourth series-sweep this year. They'll send right-hander Chris Heston (1-7, 3.99) to the hill. So far at Raley Field this season, Heston is 1-2 with a 1.37 ERA in three starts. His adversary will be Grizzlies righty Cesar Valdez (2-1, 4.79). First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. (PT). The game can be heard live online at rivercats.com.

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The Sacramento River Cats are the Triple-A affiliate of the 2014 World Champion San Francisco Giants. The team plays at Raley Field in West Sacramento, consistently voted one of the top ballparks in America. River Cats Season Tickets, Mini-Plans, and Flex Plans can be purchased for the 2016 season by calling the River Cats Ticket Hotline at (916) 371-HITS (4487). For more information about the River Cats, visit www.rivercats.com. For information on other events at Raley Field, visit www.raleyfield.com.

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