Cats Comeback Falls One Shy Against Rainiers

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The Sacramento River Cats did their best to overcome an early deficit, tallying five runs during their set of swings in the sixth, but they fell one short as the Tacoma Rainiers captured the game five victory on Saturday by a 6-5 final.

In a late comeback attempt, the River Cats (50-68) scored all five of their runs against the Rainiers (64-55) during the home half of the sixth. The first runs for Sacramento scored with a bang, as Armando Alvarez followed a Joey Bart walk with his 11th homer of the season, this one a blast to left field.

Two more free passes seemed to set up the big inning, but the River Cats had to come up with two-out magic after a double play put a damper on the proceedings. Even still, a big knock from Turner Hill, who was making his Triple-A debut, kept the inning going as he lined a double into right center for his first Triple-A extra-base hit and RBI.

Continuing the inning was Dilan Rosario, who earned a free pass and then advanced into scoring position along with Hill. Driving them both in was Tyler Fitzgerald, who sent a single to left field that had brought the score to within one at 6-5.

However, that was as close as the River Cats could come, as they managed just one base runner from that point on which came courtesy of a single by Rosario in the bottom of the ninth.

Tacoma had built its lead in the early goings, scoring three times in the second before adding two more in the third and one in the fifth. To produce the game’s first run, Taylor Trammell doubled to lead off the second and later crossed the plate on a single to left by Jake Scheiner.

When it looked as if the River Cats could escape the inning following a pair of quick outs, Riley Unroe capitalized on a 3-1 pitch as he sent a home run to deep right field for the 3-0 edge.

It took just one batter into the third for the Rainiers to extend their lead, as Ryan Bliss sent a leadoff homer over the wall in left field for his third of season. Once more a pair of groundouts seemed to have Sacramento and starter Keaton Winn (0-5) on the verge of escaping the inning, but Trammell struck again as he hammered a 1-0 pitch to right field that made the game 5-0 and spelled the end for Winn in his return from the injured list.

The decisive run in the contest came during Tacoma’s swings in the fifth, as a Cooper Hummel double set the stage for a two-out Scheiner RBI single into left-center.

Earning the win for the Rainiers was starter Logan Allen (3-0), who went just long enough to qualify for the win after allowing a pair of runs on five hits with three walks and seven strikeouts. Taking the loss was Winn, who yielded five runs on five hits with three punchouts in just 2.2 innings.

Sharp down the stretch was the Tacoma bullpen, as four relivers combined to throw 3.1 scoreless innings while giving up just two knocks. Slamming the door was Stephen Kolek, collecting his fourth save by working the ninth and stranding Rosario’s single.

Hits were even at eight apiece for each side, but the only River Cat to record multiple hits was Hill as he also legged out an infield single for his first Triple-A hit during the fifth to go with his two-bagger. Also earning doubles were the duo of Bart and Chris Wright, with the latter making his first start as a position player after 121 total appearances as a pitcher. While he struck out in his first at-bat, the southpaw hooked a double over the right fielder’s head for his first professional baseball hit.

After alternating wins through the first five games of the series, the River Cats will look to end with a split against Tacoma when the two teams line up for the series finale on Sunday with first pitch at Sutter Health Park scheduled for 1:05 p.m.