Cats Erase Deficit but Still Fall to Dodgers, 7-3  

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. –There was no separation between the Sacramento River Cats and the Oklahoma City Dodgers as game two of the series entered the ninth, but in a similar fashion to the series opener, Oklahoma City used a big inning with their final trip to the dish to take a 7-3 win on Saturday.

For the second time in as many days the River Cats (40-48) struck in the home half of the first, taking the lead just two batters into their first set of swings as Tyler Fitzgerald pulled a ball towards the left-field corner for a solo home run. It was Fitzgerald’s 10th homer of the campaign, making him the second River Cat to reach double-digit dingers.

That blast came against Noah Syndergaard, who made his first rehab start with the Dodgers (59-28). Following the big fly, Syndergaard settled into a groove while his Oklahoma City offense started to awaken.

Sacramento starter Sean Hjelle was dealing through the first two innings, retiring each of the first six Dodgers that he had faced. However, a leadoff walk to Hunter Feduccia in the third represented the first base runner for Oklahoma City, and two batters later he became their first run as he crossed the plate on a two-run shot over the left field wall from David Dahl.

In the fourth Oklahoma City tacked on one more, using a pair of singles and a walk to load the bases before a Feduccia sacrifice fly pushed their advantage to 3-1.

Meanwhile, Syndergaard was looking in sharp form as he retired 10 consecutive River Cats from the second through the beginning of the fifth. That stretch ended when Jack Larsen hooked a double down the right-field line, putting himself in scoring position just before a Will Wilson single into left that cut the deficit to 3-2.

Just an inning later and it was a new ballgame, as the River Cats were able to rally against the newly entered Ken Giles. It did not take long either, as Bryce Johnson led off the frame by hammering a 1-0 pitch deep over the right-field wall to equalize the score.

Oklahoma City threatened during their at-bats in the eighth, with a single from Ryan Ward and a Devin Mann double putting a pair in scoring position with two outs, but righty Kai-Wei Teng remained calm and punched out his final hitter of the night with the score still at 3-3. It was the second time he escaped danger, as Teng worked around a bases loaded situation in the fifth.

That score held into the ninth when, in a similar script to last night’s contest, the Dodgers saved their biggest inning for last. Facing off against Cole Waites (3-4), Oklahoma City strung together four hits that included an Avans RBI double and was capped off by a Michael Busch two-run homer.

That provided all the momentum the Dodgers needed, as Bryan Hudson entered in a non-save situation and sat down the River Cats in order during the ninth to preserve the 7-3 win. Collecting the win for Oklahoma City was Justin Bruihl (5-2), as he worked the scoreless eighth while allowing just one hit and striking out one. Though he did not factor into the decision, Syndergaard totaled six strikeouts in his 5.0 innings of work, allowing a pair of runs on four hits.

Charged with the loss was Waites, responsible for three earned runs on two hits in just 0.1 innings. Meanwhile, Teng provided a solid relief effort as he held the Dodgers off the scoreboard for four innings, yielding just three hits and a pair of walks with four strikeouts in 4.0 frames.

Combining for the 25th multi-homer game of the year by Sacramento were the top two spots in the lineup, Johnson and Fitzgerald. The former was the only River Cat to record a multi-hit game by finishing 2-for-4, while the latter was 1-for-4. Also closing 1-for-4 was Joey Bart, whose double in the second meant that each of his last six hits have gone for extra bases (one homer, five doubles).

This short three-game set wraps up tomorrow, with the River Cats and Dodgers squaring off in an afternoon matinee as first pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m.