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PCL1 Sacramento River Cats

Hicks, Perez Make It Rain in Tacoma in Return

July 17, 2015 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Sacramento River Cats News Release


WEST SACRAMENTO, CA. - After a much needed three-day break for the 2015 Triple-A All Star Game, the River Cats got back to business on Thursday as they kicked off a four game series against the Tacoma Rainiers with a 11-3 win. The return of Brandon Hicks and Juan Perez sparked more than enough offense to give Ty Blach his 8th win of the season.

After missing 83 games with reoccurring hamstring issues, Hicks played in his first game Thursday since the second week of the season (April 15 vs. Las Vegas). Hicks wasted little time as he laced a double into left-center field on the first pitch he saw. In his third at bat, Hicks got the bat working again as he narrowly missed a home run, settling for an RBI-triple off of the top of the centerfield wall. Overall, he finished the night 3-for-4 with 2 runs scored and 3 RBIs.

Also returning to the River Cats lineup on Thursday from a stint on the disabled list was Perez. The outfielder made great plays with both the bat (2-for-5, 2B, 3 RBIs) and with the glove. With the bases loaded in the third, Perez roped a double down the left field line to clear the bases. In the bottom half, Perez made a spectacular diving catch on a sharply hit line drive to end the inning.

Tacoma ended Blach's bid at a perfect game with a fourth-inning single. The Rainiers muscled up two runs in the inning to trim the deficit to just one, but that would be all they could get in the frame as Sacramento escaped with the lead intact.

After missing just two games on the disabled list, Blach (8-8, 4.23) returned to the mound Thursday and kept to his winning ways as he earned his third straight win. After starting the day retiring 10 straight, Blach finished the night allowing 3 runs on 7 hits, walking 1 and striking out 3 over 6 innings of work. The Sacramento bullpen held his lead, with scoreless innings from Curits Partch and Steven Okert, as well as the River Cats debut of three-time world Champion Jeremy Affeldt (1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 K).

The last two days have been very busy for the River Cats, as nine roster transactions were made. Blach, Hicks, Perez, and Hector Sanchez were all reinstated from the disabled list, while Jack Snodgrass was placed on the DL. The River Cats also released Brett Jackson, as well as veterans Ronny Cedeno and Guillermo Quiroz. Lastly, the veteran left-hander Affeldt was added to the roster on a Major League rehab assignment.

Sacramento will go for another victory tomorrow night when they send right-hander Chris Stratton (0-2, 2.33) to the bump. Looking for his first win of the season, Stratton has pitched two shutouts in his last three starts in which he went 8 innings and received no decisions in both. Opposing him will be lefty Roenis Elias for the Rainiers. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. and can be heard live on 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 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.

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