Straily Pitches River Cats Past Rainiers, 5-4
Published on April 12, 2013 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Sacramento River Cats News Release
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Dan Straily struck out nine in his 2013 River Cats debut, helping Sacramento beat the visiting Tacoma Rainiers by a score of 5-4 on a Jackie Robinson-themed Thursday night at Raley Field.
The Rainiers got out to a quick lead, scoring twice in the top of the first with the aid of three River Cats errors. Michael Choice cut the lead in half with an RBI double in the bottom of the first, scoring Jemile Weeks. In the top of the second, Straily allowed his only earned run of the night on a Nick Franklin two-out, run-scoring single to left field. The River Cats responded by scoring three times in the bottom of the second when outfielder Conner Crumbliss delivered a three-run home run on a 3-2 pitch with one out.
Straily settled in after the second inning, retiring nine batters in a row before exiting the game with two outs in the sixth and a one-run lead. In all, he allowed four hits and three runs-one earned-with no walks and nine strikeouts for his first Triple-A win of the season. After Straily's departure, the River Cats tacked on another run in the bottom of the sixth on a Weeks ground-rule double to left-center field.
The Rainiers wouldn't go down without a fight, scoring once in the top of the ninth. With no outs and a man on third, River Cats reliever Mike Ekstrom shut the door, inducing a ground out and two strikeouts to give the River Cats the 5-4 victory.
Ekstrom gave up one unearned run with two strikeouts, collecting the team's first save of the season. Dan Otero tossed 2.1 perfect innings of relief with three strikeouts, bridging the gap between Straily and Ekstrom.
Weeks went 2-for-5 with a run, an RBI and a double, extending his hitting streak to a team-high eight games. Crumbliss finished 1-for-3 with a run, three RBIs and a home run, while third baseman Josh Horton went 3-for-4 with a run scored. Michael Taylor went 0-for-4, snapping his hitting streak at 10 games.
Tacoma right-handed pitcher-and former Oakland Athletics first-round pick-Jeremy Bonderman gave up five earned runs on nine hits for the loss. Jesus Sucre was the only Rainier to collect more than one hit, finishing 2-for-4.
The River Cats hit the road for an eight-game trip to Nevada where they will play four games against the Reno Aces followed by four more against the Las Vegas 51s. River Cats lefty Justin Thomas (0-1, 3.38 ERA) will take on Reno righty Charles Brewer (1-0, 0.00 ERA) on Friday night at Aces Ballpark. The River Cats return home on April 20 for an eight-game homestand against the Reno Aces and Salt Lake Bees.
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River Cats Season Tickets, Mini-Plans, Flex Plans and group outings are on sale now, and can be purchased by calling the River Cats Ticket Hotline at (916) 371-HITS (4487). Individual game tickets, starting at just $8, are available now at ticketmaster.com and at Raley Field's Round Table Pizza Ticket Office. 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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