Knizner Debuts with Five RBI, Cats Win Third Straight

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – Scoring early and often was the key to success in a second straight game for the Sacramento River Cats, plating seven runs by through the top of the third inning en route to an 8-1 victory over the Oklahoma City Comets on Wednesday.

It was an impressive River Cats (23-24) debut for Andrew Knizner, who recently signed a minor league deal with the San Francisco Giants and was assigned to Sacramento. In his first at-bat he doubled home a pair with a ball down the right-field line, as Marco Luciano and Brett Wisely each reached with one away in the opening frame.

A single and two walks loaded the bases for the River Cats in the second, the first of the inning scoring on a Daniel Johnson single into center that kept the bases loaded. Then it was a little bit of déjà vu with Knizner when he stepped to the plate next, this time sending a ball into the left-center gap that unloaded the bases and scored the duo of Luciano and Wisely for a second time.

The five RBI for Knizner are the most by a River Cat in their Sacramento debut since at least 2005, topping the previous record of four that had been done twice by David Villar on April 5, 2022 and Chris Carter on Aug. 26, 2009.

Sacramento added a tally in the third without logging a hit, as Comets (28-19) pitchers walked three batters and then hit Wisely with the bases loaded to force in a run.

Oklahoma City struck for its only run in the home half of the third, doing so with two consecutive hits when Esteury Ruiz singled to left field with two outs and scored immediately on an Alex Freeland double to right center.

It was the River Cats that had the last laugh, striking for a run in the away half of the sixth on a Hunter Bishop RBI single to left center with one out in the frame. Scoring on the play was Jake Lamb, who had worked a one-out walk to set the stage.

Starter Carson Seymour (2-5) was dealing from the get-go, and he allowed only the one run on two hits from the third inning. While he did walk three, he punched out seven which was one shy of his season-high from last time out at home against Salt Lake.

Knizner closed his River Cats debut by going 3-for-5, striking out once along with his pair of doubles and five RBI. All other River Cats had one hit including RBI knocks from Wisely, Johnson and Bishop. Although he did not have an official hit, Luciano walked four times which is a season-high by a River Cat and one shy of the franchise record of five that has occurred four times, most recently by Donovan Walton on Aug. 9, 2024 at Albuquerque.

Sacramento is now winners of three straight, just the second time this season they have won three or more games in a row. They will look to match their season high when they take the field on Thursday against Oklahoma City from Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark at 5:05 p.m. (PT).