River Cats drop series finale despite strong outing from Blach

West Sacramento, Calif. - The Sacramento River Cats (28-29) bullpen was unable to hold an early lead as the Las Vegas Aviators (32-26) came back in the series finale to take the game 7-5 and the series 3-2.
Lefty Ty Blach got the start for Sacramento on Sunday and was solid in his five innings of work. He allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits and two walks with four strikeouts on the day. Blach would exit the game with a 4-2 lead after five, but would finish with a no-decision.
At the plate, three River Cats picked up multi-hit games on the afternoon, with center fielder Mike Gerber, shortstop Abiatal Avelino, and catcher Ronnie Freeman each collecting two hits. Freeman hit his third home run of the season in the second inning and first baseman Zach Green blasted a mammoth 449-ft. homer in the eighth.
The Aviators did the bulk of their damage against the normally stingy River Cats' bullpen, tagging submarine-righty Tyler Rogers with three runs on four doubles in the sixth inning and adding a two-run homer against Williams Jerez in the eighth.
The River Cats will get an off day on Monday before embarking on a seven-game road trip to Oklahoma City and New Orleans. River Cats' right-hander Carlos Navas (0-4, 5.09) will be on the hill Tuesday to open the series with the Dodgers, who will counter with right-hander Tony Gonsolin (1-1, 2.31). First pitch is set for 5:05 p.m. (PT). Catch all of the action live online at rivercats.com, on the MiLB First Pitch app, or on Money 105.5 FM beginning at 6:00 p.m.
Additional Notes

• Catcher Ronnie Freeman smacked the River Cats' league-leading 24th home run on the first pitch of an at bat this season. Sacramento is leading the Pacific Coast League with a .417 batting average and 1.238 OPS on first pitches.
• The three runs that righty Tyler Rogers allowed on Sunday are the most he has surrendered as a River Cat since he gave up three runs in 1.1 innings on April 14, 2018 against the Tacoma Rainiers. Rogers has a career 3.06 ERA with Sacramento over 152 appearances.

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The Sacramento River Cats are the Triple-A affiliate of the three-time World Champion San Francisco Giants. The team plays at Raley Field in West Sacramento, consistently voted one of the top ballparks in America. Season Tickets, Mini-Plans, and Flex Plans can be purchased for the River Cats' 20th season by calling the River Cats Ticket Hotline at (916) 371-HITS (4487). The only place to guarantee official River Cats tickets is at www.rivercats.com. For information on other events at Raley Field, visit www.raleyfield.com.