Heathcott drives in two in Raley Field debut, lifts River Cats to victory

The Sacramento River Cats (50-68) found themselves trailing the Salt Lake Bees (59-60) late Friday night at Raley Field, but rallied in the seventh inning for the come-from-behind, 5-3 victory.

In his Raley Field debut, centerfielder Slade Heathcott went 1-for-3 with a walk and two crucial RBIs. With the game tied at three in the seventh, Heathcott muscled a base hit up the middle, scoring two and putting Sacramento up 5-3. He was joined in the inning by Trevor Brown, whose RBI-single tied the game one batter earlier.
Steven Okert, who pitched in each of the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings, got the win, his third of the year. Tyler Rogers took over for Okert with one out in the ninth and recorded his eighth save of the season.
Game two of this four-game homestand features Sacramento's #11 prospect Andrew Suárez against Salt Lake's Andrew Heaney (on rehab from Los Angeles Angeles). 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 ESPN 1320.
Postgame Notes
Scoring first: The River Cats have scored first in each of their last five games…are 2-3 in those five games…for the season, are 34-28 when scoring first…their 28 losses in such games are the most in the Pacific Coast League.
The Streak: Chris Shaw's 14-game hit streak came to an end tonight after the left fielder went 0-4 with a strikeout…during the streak, Shaw hit .352 (19-for-54) with six doubles and five home runs…the streak was the longest by a River Cats hitter this season…Christian Arroyo put together a 12-game hit streak from April 8^th through 19^th earlier this season.
Flores: Sacramento starter Jose Flores threw 5.1 innings, allowing just one run on four hits and a walk…struck out six while throwing 96 pitches (60 strikes)...lowered his ERA to 3.09 while raising his K/9 to 8.9.  
Since the Break: Since the All-Star Break, the River Cats are 15-14…are 10-3 at home during that stretch.  
Home Fridays: Sacramento won their first Friday home game of the year tonight…last Friday home win was September 2nd, 2016 versus the Fresno Grizzlies.
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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.