Sacramento thwarted again, fall to Isotopes 9-4

ALBUQUERQUE, NM - For the second consecutive night, the Sacramento River Cats (11-16) out-hit the Albuquerque Isotopes (16-11), but again were outscored, falling 9-4. Catcher Miguel Olivo did his part, going 1-for-3 with the first RBI of the game, as did Ryan Lollis, who went 2-for-4 with an RBI.

Olivo helped the River Cats get on the board first, driving a two-out RBI double to centerfield, putting Sacramento up 1-0. The catcher has been raking at the plate lately and entered tonight with a .365 batting average, the best on the team and fifth-highest in the Pacific Coast League. The vet only lasted five innings, however, getting tossed in the fifth for arguing balls and strikes with home plate umpire Travis Eggert. With the ejection, Olivo became the first River Cats player to be tossed this season.

Lollis continued his hitting streak, which now stands at seven games. Over that span, the first baseman is 14-for-34 (.412) with three doubles, one home run, and 11 RBI. Both Lollis and Olivo lead the team this season in batting average with runners in scoring position and two outs. For the season, Olivo is now batting .385 (5-for-13) with six RBI while Lollis is sitting at .500 (9-for-18) with eight RBI in such situations.

On the hill tonight and making his second start of the year was Chris Heston. The right-hander started off on the right foot, striking out three of the first seven batters he faced. Coming into tonight's game, leadoff hitters had been a problem for Heston and Albuquerque did their best to exploit it. In the first five innings, he allowed the leadoff man to reach base safely four times.

Heston also struggled with his control, hitting three batters. As a team, the River Cats set a franchise-high with four hit batters (Jake Dunning was responsible for the fourth), three of which were endured by opposing catcher Dustin Garneau. All-in-all, Heston also had one wild pitch over five innings, giving up seven hits, two walks and four strikeouts. On the night, the River Cats' pitching staff would have as many combined wild pitches, errors and hit batters as they did strikeouts (5).

Right fielder Jarrett Parker continued to impress at the plate. The lanky lefty now has five home runs in his last four games, adding his team-leading seventh tonight on a 2-0 pitch from Isotopes starter Matt Flemer. Parker now leads the team in RBI with 18 and is tied for second in home runs in the PCL with Round Rocks' Joey Gallo.

Sacramento will look for the series split tomorrow morning against Albuquerque as the River Cats send LHP Ty Blach (3-2, 4.28) to the hill to face the Isotopes' RHP Jordan Lyles (1-0, 1.69). First pitch is at 10:05 a.m. (PT) and the game can be heard live online at rivercats.com and on the air on ESPN 1320 starting at 7 p.m.

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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 2016 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.