Shaw, Winn lead River Cats over El Paso in desert slugfest

El Paso, TX - The Sacramento River Cats (32-46) hung on to take the series finale from the El Paso Chihuahuas (38-42) by a final score of 11-10 Thursday night in El Paso.

Chris Shaw opened the floodgates early in El Paso with a solo home run in the second inning. After El Paso took a 3-2 lead a half-inning later, Shaw added his second of the night, a three-run shot in the third inning, giving Sacramento a 5-3 lead. The two teams battled back and forth, scoring 16 total runs through five innings and taking an 8-8 tie into the sixth.
The bullpens settled things down after that, as the two teams traded zeros until the ninth. It was Sacramento's new catcher Matt Winn who broke the tie, slamming a three-run home run to centerfield to put the River Cats up 11-8 in the ninth. El Paso rallied in the home half of the frame, but closer Derek Law narrowly avoided catastrophe, stranding the tying run on third and securing the 11-10 win.
The River Cats return to Raley Field tomorrow for an Independence Day Weekend series against the Fresno Grizzlies. Taking the mound for Sacramento is San Francisco Giants ace Madison Bumgarner (0-0, 0.00) who will make his first rehab start for the River Cats. For Fresno, it will be right-hander Casey Coleman (3-4, 5.91). First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. (PT) and the game can be heard live on the air on ESPN 1320 and online at rivercats.com.  
Postgame Notes
Shaw: Chris Shaw went 4-for-5 with two home runs and four RBI in tonight's game…in four games in El Paso, Shaw hit .467 (7-for-15) with three home runs and seven RBI…through 30 games at Triple-A, Shaw is hitting .292 with six home runs and 21 RBI.
Winn: New River Cats catcher Matt Winn went 3-for-3 with two doubles, a home run, and four RBI tonight…Winn made his Triple-A debut on Wednesday night and is 4-for-4 with four runs scored and four RBI with a walk since being promoted.    
Rehab Report: Outfielder Jarrett Parker went 1-for-4 with his first home run...in eight games with Sacramento, Parker is hitting .267 (8-for-30) with a home run, two doubles, three RBI, and 13 runs scored.  
Lucky Number Seven: The River Cats are undefeated this season when scoring at least seven runs (14-0).
All the Hits: The 31 total hits in tonight's game are the second most in a River Cats game this season…Sacramento and the Reno Aces combined for 32 hits on May 27 in Reno (a 7-6 River Cats loss).  
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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.