Two Cats Blasts Not Enough for Sacramento Against Las Vegas

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – A pair of home runs were the highlight of Friday night’s game for the Sacramento River Cats, but they represented two of their three hits and all four of their runs in what ended as a 7-4 defeat at the hands of the Las Vegas Aviators at Sutter Health Park.

The River Cats (14-11/50-50) used a three-run first inning to counter a two-run top of the first by the Aviators (11-14/60-40), but it was a lead that would not last. An error and a tough infield single allowed Las Vegas to tally a pair of runs early, but Sacramento pushed their way back in front when Bryce Eldridge crushed an opposite field homer that landed deep atop the River Cats clubhouse for his sixth Triple-A homer of the year.

Both teams were quiet until Las Vegas reclaimed the lead behind a three-run fourth and two-run fifth, with a home run from Nick Martini in the fourth accounting for all three of the runs in the frame. In the fifth it was a pair of hits that led to two runs, an RBI belonging to Brett Harris while Martini earned his fourth RBI of the night when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.

Grant McCray represented the final run of the game, as he hammered his 14th homer of the season on a 1-2 offering to lead off the home half of the sixth.

Sacramento’s only other hit belonged to Eldridge, which came in the form of a single in the third inning to mark Eldridge’s sixth multi-hit game of the season.

Saddled with the loss was Trevor McDonald (6-6), who yielded five runs (three earned) on eight hits over just four frames. Three Sacramento relievers did toss scoreless outings, as Kai-Wei Teng, Joel Peguero, and Miguel Díaz combined to allow one hit (Díaz) over 4.2 innings of work.

Despite the loss, the River Cats still maintain a 3-1 edge in the series, and they will try to clinch a series win yet again on Saturday when first pitch between the two teams gets tossed at 6:37 p.m. (PT).