PCL1 Sacramento River Cats

Hanson, River Cats Shut out Zephyrs for Tenth Straight Win

Published on August 20, 2015 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Sacramento River Cats News Release


WEST SACRAMENTO, CA. - River Cats' right-hander Tommy Hanson entered Wednesday night's start with a 1-5 record and a 7.71 ERA. He seemed the unlikeliest of the Sacramento starters to lead the team to their tenth straight win, but on a perfect night at Raley Field, that's exactly what he did. The right-hander tossed seven brilliant innings, blanking the visiting New Orleans Zephyrs as Sacramento won their tenth straight, 2-0.

Hanson (2-5, 6.43) came into his ninth River Cats start looking for his first win at Raley Field and more than delivered. The veteran righty tossed seven shutout innings, holding the Zephyrs to just two hits. He struck out a season-high seven and walked just one.

The only trouble Hanson faced came in the first two innings. With one out in the first, New Orleans' Reid Brignac lofted a double down the right-field line. In the second, the Zephyrs' Vinny Rottino lined another double down the left-field line. Both times, Hanson pitched out of trouble, getting a number of weak pop ups and strikeouts to skirt around any potential danger. He retired 15 straight from the second through the sixth innings and 17 of the final 18 he faced.

Sacramento jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first against Zephyrs starter Ivan Pineyro. After Darren Ford singled, the speedster stole second base and advanced to third on a Kevin Frandsen groundout. Jarrett Parker followed with a two-out single to right, bringing Ford home. They scored again in the bottom of the eighth, as Frandsen came home on Mac Williamson's sacrifice fly to center to put the home team up 2-0.

The second run proved unnecessary, though, as Hanson combined with Cory Gearrin and Michael Broadway to shut out the Zephyrs and lead the River Cats to their tenth straight win. Broadway struck out two in the ninth as he recorded his team-leading 13th save of the season.

With ten consecutive victories, the River Cats have matched the all-time franchise record for longest winning streak. Sacramento has now won ten straight four different times in their history. Prior to this current streak, the River Cats last won ten straight from August 26 to September 4, 2011. Their current streak began on August 9 with a 9-3 win in Fresno against the Grizzlies. Since then, Sacramento swept the Tacoma Rainiers on the road and then swept the Round Rock Express at home.

The River Cats will try to make history tomorrow night as they go for a franchise-record 11 consecutive wins. Taking the mound and looking to lead them into the River Cats record books will be right-hander Clayton Blackburn (8-3, 3.28). Since the All-Star Break, Blackburn has been lights out for Sacramento, posting a 5-0 record and a 1.98 ERA (eight earned runs, 36.1 innings pitched). New Orleans has yet to announce a starter. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. and the game can be heard live online at rivercats.com and on the air on ESPN 1320.

***

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 2015 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.

Check out the Sacramento River Cats Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Pacific Coast League Stories from August 20, 2015


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central