Espinal strikes out 9, Pereda plates 4 in late-surge victory
April 22, 2022 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Sacramento River Cats News Release
West Sacramento, Calif. - Powered by a four-run seventh, the Sacramento River Cats (8-7) came back to defeat the Oklahoma City Dodgers (10-5) on Thursday night to break their three-game slide.
Down 2-1 in the seventh, first baseman Jason Krizan ignited the rally with a leadoff single. After third baseman Wyatt Mathisen walked and second baseman Luke Williams singled to load the bases, left fielder Ka'ai Tom tied the game with a sacrifice fly.
Catcher Jhonny Pereda, who plated the River Cats' first run in the fifth, fouled off three pitches before he lined a go-ahead two-run ground-rule double. Pereda finished the day 3-for-4 with a run and four RBIs, and also threw out a runner trying to steal in the first inning.
Two batters later, center fielder Bryce Johnson extended the lead to 5-2 with an RBI single.
The River Cats added three insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth when Tom lined a single to right field to score Mathisen and Williams, and Pereda knocked in his fourth run of the day with an RBI single.
Sacramento right-hander Raynel Espinal was excellent on the mound outside of two solo home runs. The starter struck out a season-high nine in 5.0 innings, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks.
Righty Corey Oswalt (1-1) picked up where Espinal left off, striking out four with two walks and a home run surrendered in 3.0 innings.
Right-hander Jakob Junis (0-1, 8.74) looks to make it two in a row with a win on Friday. He'll take on right-hander Ryan Pepiot (0-0, 1.69) at 6:45 p.m. (PT). Listen to Johnny Doskow call the game online at rivercats.com or on the MiLB First Pitch app.
Additional Notes
Williams had a solid first game for Sacramento, going 3-for-4 with a double, three runs, and a stolen base.
The Dodgers scored all three runs on solo home runs, with center fielder Drew Avans hitting the first, and shortstop Andy Burns blasting two.
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