Alcántara goes yard twice, River Cats drop heartbreaker in walk-off fashion

Las Vegas, Nev. — Despite holding a 14-11 lead with one out in the ninth inning, the Sacramento River Cats (23-28) could not hold on for their fourth straight victory, falling to the Las Vegas Aviators (24-28) in 10 innings.

Left-hander Sam Selman, who entered the game with 8.1 straight shutout innings and one hit allowed, could not take advantage of the three-run buffer, walking three batters before right fielder Cody Thomas doubled, and third baseman Vimael Machín hit a game-tying sacrifice fly.

Even after the ninth-inning nightmare, the River Cats still had a chance to retake the lead in extras when pinch-runner Drew Robinson reached third base on a wild pitch. Yet, three strikeouts stranded Robinson on third and set up Las Vegas left fielder Jacob Wilson for the walk-off sacrifice-fly.

The four hour and 30 minute game saw five lead changes, 12 pitchers, 29 runs, 23 walks, 32 hits, and seven home runs (one being a grand slam by Las Vegas catcher Carlos Pérez).

After Las Vegas took the lead in the bottom of the second on a three-run home run by Wilson, Sacramento shortstop Arismendy Alcántara responded with a solo home run in the third, and a three-run shot in the fourth to make it 9-7 Sacramento.

Center fielder Bryce Johnson had an active day with both the bat and the glove, going 2-for-5 with three runs, two walks, two stolen bases, and a run-saving leaping catch in the sixth inning.

Left-hander Scott Kazmir (2-0, 2.66) looks to rebound with a win on Monday. He’ll take on right-hander Miguel Romero (0-3, 8.34). First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. (PT). Listen to all of the action live online at rivercats.com, and on the *MiLB First Pitch app. *

Additional Notes

• Sacramento starter Matt Frisbee battled to get through 5.0 innings, but fell an out short, finishing the day with four strikeouts and eight earned runs on four walks and eight hits (two home runs).
• The River Cats extended their franchise record of 17 consecutive games with a home run, this time in back-to-back fashion. Third baseman Mitchell Tolman took right-hander Brian Howard deep for his first home run since June 10. One pitch later, second baseman Peter Maris tied the game at four with his third home run in as many games.