5-3 Win Makes It Four in a Row for Sacramento
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Six shutout innings from Seth Lonsway and a four-run fifth inning helped the Sacramento River Cats to a fourth straight victory, their third in a row over the Sugar Land Space Cowboys with a 5-3 final on Thursday. The early part of the contest was a
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Six shutout innings from Seth Lonsway and a four-run fifth inning helped the Sacramento River Cats to a fourth straight victory, their third in a row over the Sugar Land Space Cowboys with a 5-3 final on Thursday.
The early part of the contest was a pitcher’s duel as Lonsway (1-0) and Luis Garcia, who made his second appearance with the Space Cowboys (14-19/53-55) on his current rehab assignment. Both pitchers prevented any runs through four innings, with Garcia checking out having scattered three hits with seven strikeouts.
Lonsway made it through five frames, and the River Cats (21-15/57-54) put him in line for the win by scoring four times in the bottom of the inning. Daniel Johnson kicked off the inning with a double, and the bases loaded soon after with a Logan Porter walk and Osleivis Basabe single.
Wade Meckler was credited with the first RBI of the game on a bases loaded walk, while Bryce Eldridge delivered his 40th RBI of the season in his 34th game of the season. Keeping the line moving was Luis Matos, who drove in his first two RBI since rejoining Sacramento yesterday with a double to the left-center gap to make the game 4-0.
Sugar Land scored three times in the top of the seventh to make it interesting, returning the favor by loading the bases and watching all three score on a combination of a hit by pitch and two-RBI single from Shay Whitcomb.
Sacramento got an insurance tally back in the bottom of the frame, pushing across an extra run when Jayden Murray’s wild pitch allowed Wade Meckler to scamper home after leading off with a double down the left field line.
Sean Hjelle worked 1.1 scoreless frames to get to the ninth, striking out one in the process, while Miguel Díaz (S, 3) picked up his third save in four tries by tossing a run-free ninth. That secured the win for Lonsway, his first Triple-A victory in his second start.
A pair of River Cats picked produced a two-hit night in Meckler and Eldridge, the former of which was 2-for-3 with two runs scored, a double and RBI. Meanwhile, Eldridge was 2-for-3 with an RBI, while both Matos and Johnson were 1-for-4 with a double.
The River Cats have now secured at minimum a series split Sugar Land and will try to take the series outright in game four of the set on Friday at 6:45 p.m. (PT) at Sutter Health Park.