Sacramento hangs on to 5-4 win over Las Vegas

Las Vegas, NV - The Sacramento River Cats (25-39) allowed four runs over the last two innings but were able to outlast the Las Vegas 51s (26-40) by a score of 5-4 at Cashman Field Wednesday night. 

Right-hander Chris Stratton was on the hill for Sacramento and came out ready to go, not allowing a hit until a third-inning single by Las Vegas pitcher Rick Knapp. He ran into trouble in the fifth inning after allowing a leadoff triple, but went on to strike out the side to preserve the shutout.
In the sixth, third baseman Ryder Jones opened the scoring with a two-out solo home run to make it a 1-0 game. After back-to-back singles by Mac Williamson and Chris Shaw, Justin Ruggiano added a three-run homer of this own. The River Cats tacked on one more in the seventh thanks to a Juniel Querecuto RBI-double to make it 5-0.
Las Vegas racked up four straight hits against Stratton before he was relieved by Kyle Crick in the eighth. The 51s pushed three runs across in the inning to cut the deficit to two going into the ninth. Left-hander Steven Okert allowed a leadoff homer to open the ninth, but retired the next three hitters in a row to earn his second save.   
The River Cats will send right-hander Joan Gregorio (3-4, 3.26) to the hill for game three and the 51s will counter with righty Tyler Pill (3-1, 1.96). First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. (PT) and the game can be heard live online at rivercats.com and on the air on Money 105.5.
Postgame Notes
Stratton's solid start: Chris Stratton earned his second win in three starts tonight…allowed eight hits, two walks and struck out four…now has two quality starts this month with a 4.42 ERA (18.1 IP, 9 ER)…contributed at the plate with two sacrifice bunts.
Home run Ruggiano: After going 17 games without hitting a home run with Sacramento, Justin Ruggiano has now homered in back-to-back games...had his first multi-RBI game with the club…Ruggiano has now knocked in a run in three straight games.
Turn it: Sacramento turned a season-high four double plays tonight and now have the most in the PCL with 75…have turned 10 double plays over their last four games.
Rehab report: Conor Gillaspie played six innings in his eighth game with Sacramento…went 0-for-3 on the night before being replaced by Juan Ciriaco…is hitting .174 with an RBI.
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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. River Cats Season Tickets, Mini-Plans, and Flex Plans can be purchased for the 2017 season by calling the River Cats Ticket Hotline at (916) 371-HITS (4487). For more information about the River Cats, visit www.rivercats.com. For information on other events at Raley Field, visit www.raleyfield.com.