The River Cats crushed Salt Lake 17-7 on Wednesday as Bryce Eldridge became the first player at any level this season to tally five runs scored in a single game

The River Cats had their biggest night yet on Wednesday as they defeated the Salt Lake Bees 17-7.

Sacramento came out with a bang as they sent all nine men to the plate in the first inning, the third time they’ve sent all nine up to bat in the first inning this season. Nate Furman began the night with a single, extending his Triple-A-leading on-base streak to 24-straight games. Jesús Rodríguez was hit by a pitch followed by a walk to Bryce Eldridge to load the bases. Justin Dunn plunked Buddy Kennedy to allow the Cats an easy first score. It was the second time this season a Salt Lake pitcher has hit a batter with the bases loaded the season.

Victor Bericoto grounded into a double play but scored Furman and advanced Eldridge to third. Next, Dunn threw a wild pitch that scored Eldridge, allowed a single followed by a stolen base to Grant McCray, and a walk to Jake Holton. That would do it for Dunn as he was replaced by reliever Angel Perdomo

The Bees then struck their third batter of the hitting, Thomas Gavello, to load the bases for the second time in eight plate appearances. It marked the second time this season a Triple-A team has hit three batters in a single inning, and the first time a Triple-A team has hit three batters in the first inning since Omaha did so on July 12, 2024.

Despite the Kitties’ .387 average with the bases loaded this season, Perdomo escaped without allowing a fourth run as Osleivis Basabe grounded into a force out.

This brought Nate Furman up to leadoff once again in the second where he drew a walk but was subsequently caught attempting to swipe second, his first time being caught stealing this season in five attempts. Rodríguez singled and was successful in stealing second, which ultimately became superfluous and Bryce Eldridge knocked his third home run of the season.

Eldridge’s longball traveled 434 feet, the longest by a River Cat this season, and second-longest of Bryce’s career. His longest was a 470-foot blast that splashed into the Truckee River behind right field at the Reno Aces’ Greater Nevada Field on August 28th last season. The ball had a 110.1mph exit velocity which was his highest this season. He has 10 total swings in his career that registered above 110mph, three of which were home runs.

Two singles from Kennedy and Bericoto followed by a walk to McCray loaded the bases for a third time in two innings for the Cats. Holton grounded into a force out but scored Kennedy, and Gavello popped out to second base to end the inning, but not before Sacramento was able to score three more runs to take a 6-0 lead early in the ballgame.

Salt Lake saw their first glimmer of hope as Donovan Walton knocked a two-run shot to right center field on the first pitch. It was the 10th time Carson Seymour has allowed a four-bagger on the first pitch of an at-bat in his career.

The third inning was quiet as both sides were retired in just three batters each.

Only the calm before the storm, however. Eldridge and Kennedy hit a pair of singles followed by a walk drawn by Bericoto to load the bases for the fourth time in as many innings. And Grant McCray made the Bees pay for it as he launched the River Cats second grand slam of the season. It marked the fifth grand slam of McCray’s career, and first at the Triple-A level. His last was on May 4, 2024 with Double-A Richmond.

Nate Furman led off the for the third time in the fifth, reaching on a fielding error. Eldridge knocked an RBI-single, followed by the Cats’ fourth third homer of the night, a 362-foot shot from Victor Bericoto. McCray reached on a throwing error followed by two walks to Holton and Gavello, loading the bases for the fifth and what would be final time for the Kitties that night. A wild pitch by Huascar Ynoa scored McCray, giving Sacramento a 14-2 lead as they sent all nine men to the plate once again.

Carson Seymour retired for the evening after allowing just a single in the bottom of the fifth. He allowed two runs on six hits (1 HR) with no walks and five strikeouts in 5.0 innings of work as the Kitties sent the minimum to the plate for just the second inning that evening at the top of the sixth.

Salt Lake managed maintain some nobility as they were able to score three runs that inning, including a solo home run from Niko Kavadas.

Sacramento added three more for good measure in the eighth on Bryce Eldridge’s second longball and the River Cats’ fourth of the evening, their most in a game thus far. It marked the first time a River Cat had a multi-homer game since Thomas Gavello on August 28 at Reno, the same game in which Eldridge knocked his 470-foot round-tripper. The Cats had six total home runs that game, one of four games last season in which they recorded four-or-more home runs.

Salt Lake tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the eighth, and a quiet ninth from both teams brought the final tally to 17-7. 17 runs was the most scored by the River Cats this season. The Cats scored 17-or-more in four separate games last season, most recently on September 18 vs. Round Rock where they won 17-9, and before that, the August 28 game in which they won 21-7.

Bryce Eldridge became the only player at any level to record five runs scored in a single game this season, and the first River Cat to do so since Michael Dubón on August 23, 2019.

It was not their largest margin of victory, however, as they won 11-0 on April 10 vs. Las Vegas. The Cats recorded 55 plate appearances and 28 total bases, both their most since the August 28 game at Reno. It was the longest game for Sacramento this season (not including delays) as it totaled three hours and 30 minutes.