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PCL Sacramento River Cats

Longest Game of Year Ends in Defeat for Cats

July 22, 2023 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Sacramento River Cats News Release


WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. - A home run in the seventh helped the Sacramento River Cats force a pair of crazy extra innings in their contest with the Tacoma Rainiers, but ultimately the longest game of the year for Sacramento ended in favor of Tacoma as their three runs in the top of the 11th clinched a 6-3 win on Friday.

Free passes spelled doom for the River Cats (41-52), as a pair of walks along with the free runner at second base to begin the 11th loaded the bases. Producing the go-ahead RBI for the Rainiers (47-47) was Riley Unroe, who was recently promoted to Tacoma earlier in the day, driving in the winning run on a single into left field.

Despite Sacramento starting the home half of the inning with the free runner, they were retired in order by Ryder Ryan with the last two going down swinging. That notched a save for Ryan, his first of the year, ending the game after three hours and 57 minutes of play.

That frame came after a wild set of at-bats for both teams during the 10th. It started with the River Cats once again issuing a pair of walks that loaded the bases with one out, but Sacramento hurler Joey Marciano (4-5) danced away from danger after he was able to induce an inning-ending double play.

Taking their swings, the River Cats had a pair of runners on thanks to the free runner in Marco Luciano at second and an intentional walk to last night's hero for Sacramento, Isan Diaz. Stepping to the plate was Jakson Reetz, who drove a ball deep into left field that was lost in the air by Sam Haggerty and fell to his left for an error.

After initially holding to make sure the ball was not caught, Luciano turned on the jets as he rounded third and tried to score, but a perfect relay by Haggerty and Mason McCoy cut down Luciano at the plate by mere fingertips.

Sacramento had forced extra innings thanks to the home half of the seventh, scoring three times to knot the contest. The frame started with each of the first three River Cats reaching base as Jack Larsen earned a walk just in front of a single from Armando Alvarez.

Coming to the plate in a pinch-hit opportunity was Ricardo Genoves, and Sacramento captured more pinch-hit magic as he laced an RBI single into left center. That marked the seventh RBI in pinch-hit situations this year for the River Cats, three of which came from Diaz's game-winning blast last night.

Though it seemed as if that might be it in the inning for Sacramento following an unfortunate double play on a ball hit right to the third-base bag by Heliot Ramos, there to deliver in the clutch was Bryce Johnson. Waiting on a 2-0 pitch, Johnson hammered a ball over the wall in left center that scored Genoves and knotted the game at 3-3. It marked the second home run in as many days for Johnson, as he matched his longest hitting streak of the season by logging at least one knock in each of his last eight games.

That inning helped Sacramento overcome an early deficit at the hands of Tacoma, who had scored twice in the second and once in the sixth. The game's first run was scored on a wild pitch by Sacramento starter Kai-Wei Teng, which was followed by a single from McCoy that drove in another.

In the sixth it was a pair of doubles that produced the run for the Rainiers, starting with a two-bagger by Mark Mathias before he traded places with Haggerty two batters later.

Capturing his first win of the season was Matt Festa (1-0), as he tossed both the ninth and 10th innings and allowed just one hit and one walk while punching out two. Charged with the loss was Marciano, with a final line of three runs allowed (two earned) on one hit and four walks in 1.2 innings of work.

While he was unable to score a run in the contest, Luciano recorded a pair of doubles for his first extra-base hits in Triple-A, finishing his night 2-for-5. He and two others, Johnson and Ricardo Genoves, totaled two-hit nights with Johnson driving in two on his dinger. Meanwhile, Genoves finished a perfect 2-for-2 after coming in as a pinch-hitter, scoring once along with an RBI.

Sacramento will look to rebound after the tough loss in game five of the series tomorrow, with the first pitch on Saturday tossed at 6:37 p.m. from Sutter Health Park.

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