Villar, Ramos shine in walk-off Opening Night win
April 6, 2022 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Sacramento River Cats News Release
West Sacramento, Calif. - Right fielder Heliot Ramos and third baseman David Villar powered the Sacramento River Cats (1-0) past the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (0-1) for a 7-6 Opening Night walk-off victory.
Villar, who was making his Triple-A debut, sent the Sutter Health Park crowd home happy with a ninth-inning game-winning single to score designated hitter Jaylin Davis.
Originally down 2-0 in the first inning, the River Cats wasted no time getting on the board. Following a leadoff walk to left fielder Luis González, Ramos, the Giants' No. 6 prospect on MLB Pipeline, unloaded on a 3-0 pitch for his first home run of the season.
One inning later, down 4-3, Villar launched a 2-2 pitch to right field for his first career Triple-A home run. Villar, Double-A Richmond's 2021 MVP, hit a career-high 20 home runs for the Flying Squirrels last season.
Young left-hander Michael Plassmeyer (0-0, No ERA) looks to make it two in a row with a win in his River Cats debut on Wednesday. He'll take on right-hander Brett Conine (0-0, No ERA) at 6:35 p.m. (PT). Listen to Johnny Doskow call the game live online at rivercats.com or on the MiLB First Pitch app.
Additional Notes
Sugar Land first baseman JJ Matijevic earned a place in history, hitting the first home run ever for the Space Cowboys (a first-inning two-run homer off River Cats right-hander Jakob Junis).
Davis had a solid first game, going 2-for-5 with a double and three runs scored.
Sacramento right-hander Luis Ortiz, a former Rangers first round pick, allowed just one hit while striking out three in 2.2 scoreless innings in relief. Righty Mauricio Llovera added another 2.0 scoreless frames with three strikeouts.
Pacific Coast League Stories from April 6, 2022
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- Space Cowboys Drop Back-And-Forth Battle on Opening Day - Sugar Land Space Cowboys
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