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PCL Sacramento River Cats

Cats Claim Third Straight with 5-3 Defeat of Space Cowboys

June 17, 2023 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Sacramento River Cats News Release


SUGAR LAND, Tex. - Pitching was again the theme for the Sacramento River Cats in game four against the Sugar Land Space Cowboys, which combined with key defensive catches and timely hitting, resulted in a 5-3 victory on Friday.

Little resistance was provided by either team in the first pair of frames, with the River Cats (32-35) stranding a runner to begin the game while the Space Cowboys (30-37) had a leadoff walk erased on an inning-ending double play. For Sacramento starter Sean Newcomb, he faced just the minimum six hitters following that twin-killing, fanning three hitters through his two innings of work.

A leadoff Michael Gigliotti walk and a single from Will Wilson put runners at the corners with no outs in the third, and the River Cats took advantage in the next at-bat. Just a day removed from making four errors, Sugar Land committed its first on Friday with a throwing error on an attempted double play, leading Gigliotti to score the game's first run. Still with two on, the bases became full shortly after a walk to Tyler Fitzgerald, but this time it was the River Cats' turn to see the frame end prematurely after Sugar Land turned two.

Entering after Newcomb in the third was Mauricio Llovera, who followed a similar script as Newcomb's first inning by walking his first batter before earning a pair of outs with one ground ball, then capped it with a punchout. That allowed the River Cats to put up an insurance run in the fourth, as Ford Proctor was hit by a pitch and later scored from second when Gigliotti drove him in on a double he slapped down the left-field line.

Part of the story over the past eight days for Sacramento has been the long ball, and Brett Wisely carried that trend onward as he launched a solo shot over the right-center wall for his second of the year during the top of the fifth. That knock, combined with a wild pitch that forced a run home, put the River Cats out in front, 4-0.

Tanner Andrews (3-2) was called on to take over for Llovera, and he was well on his way to duplicating his clean fourth inning thanks to consecutive quick outs in the fifth. However, the Space Cowboys were able to break the Sacramento no-hit bid in a big way, with J.J. Matijevic's loud crack of the bat carrying over the wall in left center.

Unfazed, Andrews remained out there for his third inning of work in the sixth. A pair of strikeouts had seemingly brought a close to the frame, but a dropped third strike meant Andrews had to find a fourth out in the inning, which he did with yet another punchout.

Running out of time, the Sugar Land bats started to heat up as they faced Jorge Guzman during the bottom of the seventh. A single and walk had runners aboard with one out, and a high fly ball toward the right field corner looked as if it could trim the Sacramento lead. Racing back into the corner was Coulter, and at the last second jumped to secure the catch before firing back into the infield. That kept the Space Cowboys' runners in place, which was crucial as Guzman had issued a free pass to load the bases before inducing a flyout to escape the damage.

It was a bit of déjà vu for the River Cats during both halves of the eighth, as Sacramento stole the run right back when Bryce Johnson also cranked his second home run of the year to a near identical spot as Wisely's blast. It was the 26th home run in the past nine games for Sacramento, who have now hit multiple dingers in 16 contests this season.

Flipping to the bottom half, Gigliotti showed off his glove in a reflective play to Coulter's by racing to his right toward the corner and making a jumping catch at the wall. That kept both runners on base from advancing, with the freshly entered Erik Miller settling down to retire the final batter of the inning on strikes.

For the ninth it was Cole Waites, who fanned the first two hitters he faced but then encountered a jam. A single kept the inning alive for Luke Berryhill, who picked the right time for his first hit of the night with a two-run homer to left center. That would be just a blip for Waites, who then brought the game to its end with a final flyout for a 5-3 Sacramento win.

Six River Cats hurlers combined to preserve the victory, with the win ultimately going to Andrews following 3.0 innings of work with one run allowed on one hit to go and five strikeouts. Guzman was given a hold for his effort in the seventh, his fourth of the campaign. The Sacramento staff logged 14 strikeouts, their seventh time generating at least 14 punchouts this year. Tagged for the loss was Sugar Land starter Bryan Garcia (2-4), allowing four of the five River Cats' runs in 5.0 innings pitched.

Only Johnson had a multi-hit night for Sacramento, closing 2-for-5 with his homer and a pair of RBI. Meanwhile, the other run scoring hits were provided by Gigliotti (1-for-2) and Wisely (1-for-3, two RBI).

With the win in game four the River Cats have secured at least a split of this six-game series, and Sacramento looks for the outright victory when these two teams line up for game five on Saturday at Constellation Field beginning at 5:05 p.m. (PT).

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