River Cats Escape Reno with 15-13 Win in 11 Innings for Series Sweep

RENO, Nev. – Neither team wanted the series to end on a bad note on Sunday, as the Sacramento River Cats and Reno Aces combined to total 14 runs and 10 hits during the 11th inning alone. However, Sacramento was able to shut the door on the Aces in the end and secure a 15-13 victory in 11 frames, clinching Sacramento’s second consecutive series sweep.

Twice the Aces (3-9/40-47) were down to their final out in the final frames in both the ninth and 10th, but they found a way to level against the River Cats (8-4/44-43) which included a three-spot against Sacramento closer Ryan Watson (BS, 2) in the ninth.

That had come after Sacramento thought they put the game away with a two-run blast in the top of the ninth by Thomas Gavello, his first Triple-A dinger of his career. Gavello has played in just four games but has hits in each of his last three and has multiple RBI in three of four games, as he ended the night with a total of four.

Both sides scored the free runner in the 10th frame, leading into what became a crazy 11th inning that saw both squads hit a grand slam. Marco Luciano provided the blast for the River Cats, his team-leading 16th dinger of the campaign that traveled toe opposite way to right-center at over 400 feet and 100 mph off the bat. Also joining the homer party was Osleivis Basabe, who smashed his sixth of the season in solo fashion.

Try as they might, the River Cats could not put the game away quickly as they scored all six of their runs in the bottom of the 11th before recording an out. Hitting the big fly for the Aces was A.J. Vukovich, which carried over the wall in right field into the bullpen and brought the score to its final resting point of 15-13.

However, Miguel Díaz (S, 1) was finally able to shut the door for Sacramento, though it took a bit of work to get there. Entering with a runner on, Díaz walked the first batter he faced, meaning two were on and the winning run was at the plate with no outs.

It was then he found his compsure, getting a strikeout of Jorge Barrosa, who had extended his hitting streak to 28 games earlier in the day, and double play to end the game without further damage allowed. That preserved the win for Matt Gage (w, 2-0), who earned his second win in as many appearances with Sacramento after working 1.1 innings and allowing just one unearned (free) runner to score.

Luciano crushed two homers on the day and drove in seven of the 15 runs for the River Cats. He became just the eighth River Cat since the start of the 2005 season to tally seven RBI in a game, while it was his second two-homer game of the season. While Luciano finished 3-for-5 at the dish with three runs scored and a total of three extra-base hits (one double), Wade Meckler was 4-for-6 with two runs scored, a double and a walk. Meanwhile, Daniel Johnson and Zach Morgan were each 2-for-6, while Basabe’s only hit in four trips was a homer with three total RBI.

The victory marked the seventh in a row for the River Cats, which gives them their longest winning streak since they won a franchise record 13 straight games from Aug. 9-22, 2015. Additionally, they won all six games against the Reno Aces, which would have been their first-ever sweep of an opponent in a six-game series. However, since the set was split in two locations (three in Sacramento, three in Reno), it marked the first time since 2015 in which the River Cats have swept consecutive series when they won a pair of four-game sets at home against Round Rock (Aug. 15-18) and New Orleans (Aug. 19-22).

Sacramento will look to keep the momentum going on Tuesday when they begin their final series before the All-Star Break in Salt Lake City against the Salt Lake Bees at 6:05 p.m. (PT).