Eldridge Drives in a Pair During Sacramento’s 14-3 Defeat

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Offense was hard to find on Saturday, as least for one side as the Sacramento River Cats were held to just three runs on two hits during a 14-3 loss at the hands of the Oklahoma City Comets on Saturday.

The River Cats (11-8/48=7-48) managed just one run on one hit through eight innings, which came from an RBI single by Bryce Eldridge when he ripped a ball up the middle in the bottom of the fourth inning. Scoring on the play was Grant McCray, who had reached on a throwing error by Comets (12-8/58-37) starter Justin Wrobleski (2-1) on a ball that was dribbled up the first base foul line.

In the ninth it was Osleivis Basabe starting the action, kicking off the bottom of the frame with a double. He would eventually score on an RBI groundout from Jerar Encarnación, who continued his rehab assignment but was hitless in four trips to the plate. A pair of walks had loaded the bases prior to Encarnación’s groundout, while Eldridge chipped in his second RBI of the night on a sacrifice fly just after.

However, that paled in comparison to the offense on the night for Oklahoma City, which for the second consecutive night featured a pair of homers in the same inning. After scoring once in the game’s opening set of swings, the Comets scored four times in the third that featured a two-run dinger from Ryan Ward, his PCL-leading 26th big fly of the campaign.

While they added one more run in the fifth, it was the seventh that broke the game open as the Comets scored six times to reach double-digit runs, the 16th time Oklahoma City has done so this season (and are a perfect 16-0 in such games). The collection of Nick Senzel, Noah Miller and Chuckie Robinson all had a run-scoring knock in the frame, including a two-RBI double from Miller.

It was not until the ninth when the game’s final runs scored, as Oklahoma City added its final runs thanks to a Chuckie Robinson two-RBI single prior to the River Cats scoring their final tallies in the home half.

Charged with the loss was Carson Ragsdale (4-5), who allowed five runs (four earned) on four hits in three innings of work. In the effort he yielded another two homers, his third straight game allowing two or more homers (eight total).

The only two River Cats to toss scoreless outings were Keaton Winn and Joel Peguero, the former of which made his first appearance after being activated from the Injured List prior to Friday’s contest. He allowed only one hit while walking two and punching out one in a scoreless frame, while Peguero worked two frames and did not allow a base runner while striking out two.

Only Eldridge and Basabe ended with the hits, both of which were 1-for-3 with the former driving in two while the latter so red once and logged a double.

Sunday will see the River Cats try to avoid a short three-game series sweep, as the two teams take Sutter Helath Park for the series finale on Sunday at 1:05 p.m.