Three Runs in Ninth Not Enough for Sacramento Against El Paso

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Fighting until the final out and trailing by seven runs, the Sacramento River Cats plated one in the seventh and three in the home half of the ninth but still came up short against the El Paso Chihuahuas on Tuesday, 9-5.

After a pair of Chihuahuas (26-26) runs to open the game in the top of the first that resulted from one hit, an error at first base and pair of fielder’s choices, the River Cats (25-27) quickly took back some momentum when Jerar Encarnación crushed the second pitch of his first at-bat just over the wall in right-center field for a solo homer. It was the first of the rehab assignment for Encarnación, who was playing in his first contest with Sacramento since May 11.

That would be Sacramento’s last run for a number of innings, being held in check from the second through the sixth. In that time El Paso tallied six runs, three of which came on one swing of the bat from Tirso Ornelas in the fifth frame.

On a 1-0 pitch Ornelas ripped a sinking line drive into center field, ultimately getting past Sacramento center fielder Grant McCray when he dove forward to make the catch. While the ball rolled to the wall, a pair of runners and Ornelas eventually came around to score, with Ornelas just getting in ahead of a tag at the plate. This was the first inside-the-park homer by a River Cats opponent in just over a year, with the last coming at Sutter Health Park by a former River Cat Armando Alvarez as a member of the Las Vegas Aviators on April 27, 2024.

Ornelas’ scamper around the bases was the second El Paso homer of the contest, as Yonathan Perlaza left the yard in traditional fashion with a solo homer in the third. El Paso eventually added a third blast in the contest when former River Cat Trenton Brooks crushed an eighth inning solo shot.

The homer was one of four hits in the contest for Brooks, who ended 4-for-5 with three runs scored and a pair of extra-base hits. In six games this season Brooks is a combined 8-for-20 (.400) against his former club.

Sacramento made it a closer contest in the latter third, plating a run in the home half of the seventh when three straight walks preceded an Andrew Knizner RBI groundout. Later in the ninth they pushed across three runs in a last-effort comeback attempt, which included a Knizner RBI double to left field and a Devin Mann two-RBI single, but Sacramento still fell short at 9-5.

Carson Seymour (2-6) was handed his sixth loss of the season after allowing eight runs (six earned) on six hits, striking out and walking four batters each. Sean Hjelle tossed a scoreless outing but allowed a pair of inherited runners to score, while Ryan Watson worked a run-free ninth with a pair of strikeouts.

Mann had the only multi-hit game while he and Knizner each had a pair of RBI and a double, with the former going 2-for-2 while the latter was 1-for-4. Encarnación left the yard for the first time on his rehab assignment, and after finishing today 1-for-2 is a combined 4-for-9 (.444) with two runs scored, one double, one homer, three RBI and a walk.

Sacramento and El Paso will lock horns once again in game two of this series on Wednesday at 12:05 p.m.