Villar, Proctor, Knapp Homer To Lift River Cats To Series-Opening Win In Las Vegas

August 20, 2022 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Sacramento River Cats News Release

Las Vegas, Nev. - Two home runs by third baseman David Villar, and solo shots by catcher Andrew Knapp and designated hitter Ford Proctor, powered the Sacramento River Cats (50-65) to a 5-4 victory at the Las Vegas Aviators (57-58) on Friday.

Villar, the Giants' newly-minted No. 27 prospect on MLB Pipeline, quickly got Sacramento on the board in the first, lining a 3-2 sinker 406 feet for a 1-0 lead.

After falling behind 2-1 in the second, Proctor tied the game with a solo home run to lead off the third, his second since joining Sacramento from Tampa Bay on Aug. 2.

Three batters later, Villar regained the lead with a towering two-run homer for his team-leading 26th big fly, and fourth multi-homer game of the season.

Knapp made it 5-2 in the sixth when he launched his fifth homer in 19 games since signing an MiLB deal with San Francisco.

A two-out dropped foul pop-up by first baseman Yermín Mercedes led to two unearned runs against righty Tristan Beck (5-7), who had an impressive start in the hitter-friendly Las Vegas Ballpark. The 26-year-old struck out seven while allowing two unearned runs on four hits and two walks in 5.0 innings.

Up 5-4 with the tying run on first and one out in the ninth, righty Shelby Miller struck out the final two batters of the game to earn his fifth save for Sacramento.

Lefty Sammy Long (1-0, 4.61) will try to clinch the three-game series with a win on Saturday. He'll take on righty Collin Wiles (8-9, 5.24) at 7:05 p.m. (PT). Listen to Johnny Doskow call the game online at rivercats.com or on the MiLB First Pitch app.

Additional Notes

Right-hander Cody Carroll was a hero out of the bullpen, stranding two inherited runners in the seventh and striking out four of five batters to earn his fourth hold of the year.

Center fielder Luis González went 0-for-3 with a walk and a run scored in his first start since being optioned by San Francisco on Aug. 17.

Pacific Coast League Stories from August 20, 2022

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• OKC Dodgers Game Notes - August 20, 2022 - Oklahoma City Comets
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• Villar, Proctor, Knapp Homer To Lift River Cats To Series-Opening Win In Las Vegas - Sacramento River Cats
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