River Cats hold off Aviators to force game five

SUMMERLIN, Nev. - With their backs against the wall on Saturday night, the Sacramento River Cats (2-2) rose to the occasion to take down the Las Vegas Aviators (2-2) 5-3 and force a winner-take-all game five in the PCL's Pacific Conference Championship Series.
The River Cats got a phenomenal start out of right-hander Carlos Navas in tonight's game. The right-hander did not allow a hit until the fifth inning when he surrendered a two-out double to Aviators' right fielder Skye Bolt. His final line on the night was five innings, one hit, zero runs, two walks and three strikeouts. It was Navas's first win with Sacramento this season after 44.1 regular season innings at the Triple-A level.
The offense jumped out to an early lead again, scoring in the first inning when third basemen Christian Adames drove in a run on a fielder's choice. Sacramento would go on to plate two more in the fifth on a Zach Houchins homer and Abiatal Avelino RBI-single, then another in the sixth on a blast off the bat of Christian Adames.
The tide began to turn in the eighth when Melvin Adon was tagged for two runs before he was able to escape the inning with a slim one-run lead. Then Peter Maris, who entered the game after Levi Michael was ejected in the sixth for arguing balls and strikes, blasted a solo bomb in the ninth to put the River Cats up by the eventual final score of 5-3.
Right-hander Caleb Baragar (0-0, 10.38) gets the start in the deciding game five matchup against Aviators' right-hander James Kaprielian (0-0, 2.25). First pitch is set for 12:05 p.m. (PT). Listen to all of the action live online at rivercats.com, on the MiLB First Pitch app, and on Money 105.5 FM.
Additional Notes

• The River Cats will play at 12:05 p.m. tomorrow - on the year the River Cats are 10-1 in day games on the road.
• Tomorrow's game will mark the eighth time the River Cats have played a game five in a playoff series - Sacramento is just 2-5 in winner-take-all games.

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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.