River Cats take series from Bees despite dropping finale

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - The Sacramento River Cats (51-47) jumped out to an early 3-0 lead on Thursday but could not contain the Salt Lake Bees (42-56) offense, losing the series finale 9-6. The club will head to Tacoma tomorrow after taking three of five against the Bees.
Sacramento outfielder Joey Rickard gave the visiting River Cats the early lead with an RBI-single in the first inning. Rickard had a brilliant series, going 10-for-17 over the five game span. Steven Duggar added two hits and scored a run in the contest.
Right-hander Brandon Beachy was promoted from Double-A Richmond to make his first career start for the Sacramento River Cats Thursday night. The 32-year old tossed 5.1 innings, allowed seven runs (six earned) on seven hits while striking out four batters. The MLB-veteran has not pitched in the big leagues since 2015, following two Tommy John surgeries on his right elbow. He was 3-6 with a 5.60 ERA in 11 games with the Flying Squirrels before his promotion.
The River Cats took the lead at 5-4 in the sixth inning on a Levi Michael sac bunt, but the Bees scored five runs over the next three frames to put the game out of reach. Third baseman Zach Green did smack his 23rd homer of the season in the ninth, but was too little too late.
Sacramento will pack up and head to Tacoma for a three game series beginning tomorrow night. Left-hander Conner Menez (2-0, 3.82) is expected to get the nod for the River Cats, while the Rainiers will turn to lefty Sean Nolin (3-0, 2.45) for the series opener. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. (PT). Catch all of the action live online at rivercats.com, on the MiLB First Pitch app, on Money 105.5 FM (PT).
Additional Notes

• Joey Rickard continues to tear up PCL pitching. He added three more hits against Salt Lake pitching and finished the series 10-17 including two doubles. Since joining the River Cats, Rickard is batting .412 with 13 extra base hits and 22 runs scored.
• The River Cats are on pace to surpass their team record for highest batting average in a season. The team best was set by the 2000 club that batted .285 on the year. The River Cats team average currently sits at .288.

*
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.