The River Cats Defeat the Aces, 9-2, in their Final Series Opener

The River Cats earned their first win in a week tonight, ending a season-high five-game losing streak.

Seth Lonsway was the starter, sending the Aces batters down in order to begin the game.

Victor Bericoto knocked a single in the first for the River Cats but that’s all they would get. Bericoto joined the River Cats on major league rehab for the second time this season on September 9, rehabbing a right knee bone bruise.

Bericoto also rehabbed with the Cats from August 4-11 due to a left oblique strain.

Lonsway allowed a leadoff homer in the second to Demetrio Cristanes, 357 feet to left center field, Crisantes’s third homer with Reno this season. Lonsway has allowed a home run in five of his last seven starts with Sacramento.

After a quiet second and third from the Kitties, they would strike back in a big way in the fourth.

Diego Velasquez singled, and Eddys Leonard knocked his fifth home run with Sacramento, a 413-foot shot to left field. It marked his T-13th longest recorded home run of his career.

Zach Morgan, freshly optioned back from San Francisco where he spent seven days but did not make his major league debut, hit his third home run of the season and second with Sacramento, a 404-foot blast to left center field.

It was the third time this season the River Cats have had back-to-back home runs, and first since Nate Furman and Drew Cavanaugh did so May 31 at Reno. All three of Sac’s back-to-back home runs have come against the Aces, with the other being Daniel Susac and Buddy Kennedy on May 7 vs. Reno.

Thomas Gavello grounded out but the Cats weren’t done yet. Aeverson Arteaga hit a 444-foot dinger to center field, bouncing high off the batter’s eye. That marked Sacramento’s fourth-longest homer of the season, and Arteaga’s longest recorded of his career.

It was the first time this season the Kitties have had three longballs in a single frame, and first since August 28, 2025 at Reno.

That Cats would score four more in the sixth on RBI singles from Morgan, Bericoto, and Parks Harber.

Ryan Walker, optioned back to Sacramento on September 5, entered in relief.

The Aces recorded just their third hit of the night when Trent Youngblood, who joined the Aces on September 12, knocked a triple, the fifth of his career and first at the Triple-A level.

Santiago Espinal then grounded out but drove in Youngblood for Reno’s second and final run of the night.

Bericoto recorded his third hit of the night in the eighth, another RBI single to ice the game.

Tristan Beck entered and pitched a scoreless ninth, allowing just a walk to Matt O’Neill.

Lonsway earned the win, his second of the season, with a final line of one run on one hit, with four walks and a Triple-A career-high-tying six strikeouts in 6.0 quality innings.