River Cats Win on Game-Ending Error
West Sacramento, Calif. - A missed catch error while trying to turn an inning-ending double play in the 11th inning allowed the game-winning run to score, as the Sacramento River Cats beat the Oklahoma City Dodgers, 5-4, Friday night at Raley Field.
Tied 4-4 since the sixth inning, Gorkys Hernandez doubled with one out in the bottom of the 11th inning for Sacramento. The Dodgers elected to intentionally walk Ramiro Pena, bringing up Mitch Delfino.
On the first pitch, Delfino sent a chopper to OKC first baseman O'Koyea Dickson. Dickson fielded the ball and threw to second base to complete a force out. Shortstop Charlie Culberson threw to pitcher Grant Dayton covering first base attempting to complete the double play, but Dayton was unable to catch Culberson's throw. The ball deflected off Dayton's glove into foul territory, and Hernandez was able to take advantage of the miscue and scamper home to score the game-winning run.
The loss was the sixth straight for Oklahoma City (24-22), marking the team's longest losing streak since dropping 10 straight, Aug. 3-13, 2012. The River Cats (21-28) won for the fifth time in their last six games, as well as collecting their sixth straight win over OKC, dating back to 2014.
The Dodgers had been down 4-0 before coming back to tie the game. The River Cats wasted no time jumping out to an early lead, scoring twice in the first inning. Mac Williamson notched a RBI single, and Ryan Lollis followed with a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0.
Sacramento kept it rolling, scoring a run in each of the next two innings. Pena roped a RBI double in the second inning, and Miguel Olivo lined a RBI single to left field in the third, giving the River Cats a 4-0 lead.
The Dodgers cut the four-run deficit in half in the fourth inning. Scott Van Slyke led off with a single, and Culberson followed with a double. Two batters later, Rob Segedin sent a single to left field to score both runners and pull OKC within 4-2.
Leading off the bottom of the fifth inning, Williamson skied a pop up on the right side of the infield that was dropped by Dickson. Williamson ended up at second base and advanced to third on a groundout by Lollis. Dodgers reliever Luis Avilan was able to escape the jam after a soft lineout and a strikeout to keep the Dodgers within two.
Avilan's ability to escape the inning unscathed proved to be pivotal. Dickson tied the game with two outs in the top of the sixth inning, hitting two-run homer to left field.
In the bottom of the inning, the River Cats had two runners on with two outs before a 13-pitch battle between Delfino and Dodgers reliever Jacob Rhame ensued. Delfino eventually hit a sharp grounder to third base, but Segedin made a diving stop and threw to first base to get the final out of the inning.
Still tied in the eighth, Hak-Ju Lee led off with a single and advanced into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt. Lee was at third base with two outs, but OKC reliever Logan Bawcom got Pena to fly out to end the inning.
Each of the first two batters in the top of the ninth collected base hits for the Dodgers. Micah Johnson came up next and laid down a bunt, but Olivo fielded the ball and threw to third base to force out the lead runner. The Dodgers loaded the bases with two outs, but Van Slyke hit into a forceout to end the threat.
The Dodgers struggled to get key hits all night, finishing 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position.
After starting pitcher Carlos Frias allowed four runs over four innings, the Dodgers bullpen was able to quiet the River Cats for the rest of the night. Four relievers combined to allow one unearned run and three hits over 6.2 innings, with two walks and four strikeouts. Dayton (1-2) retired the side in order in the 10th inning before the game-winning run scored in the 11th inning.
With the loss, the Dodgers fell to 2-3 in extra-inning games. Sacramento improved to 1-3 and collected the team's second walk-off win of the season.
Braulio Lara (1-1) held the Dodgers scoreless in the 11th inning and earned his first win of the season.
The Dodgers look for their first win of the road trip when they face Sacramento at 9:05 p.m. Central time Saturday night. Live coverage begins 15 minutes before the first pitch on AM 1340 "The Game," 1340thegame.com, or through the free iHeartRadio mobile app.