Cats Ride Three Straight Multi-Run Frames to Victory

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Trailing by a run as the game moved into the middle frames, the Sacramento River Cats unleashed three straight multi-run frames that powered Sacramento to an 8-1 victory over the El Paso Chihuahuas on Saturday.

Two pitches into the game and the Chihuahuas (28-28) snatched the game’s first lead, as Clay Dungan hammered a 1-0 pitch over the wall in right field for his third blast of the season. This was the second straight Saturday home game in which the River Cats (27-29) surrendered a leadoff home run to an opponent, as Scott Kingery had done so on May 17 with Salt Lake.

Unknown at the time, that blast served as the only run in the contest for El Paso, despite logging five more hits in the frame. Much of that was due to Sacramento starter Trevor McDonald (4-3), who settled down after the leadoff home run and allowed just three more hits before exiting. By the time he left after a season-high tying six innings, he punched out a season best nine batters while walking just one to gain his fourth win of the season.

That win does not happen without the offense, which came alive starting in the home half of the fifth inning. Jake Lamb singled to start the frame and was joined on base by Wade Meckler and Jerar Encarnación, both of whom drew a walk. With the bases loaded, Grant McCray singled through the right side with the infield halfway in that scored a pair. However, Encarnación was caught stealing third two at-bats later to bring an end to the inning.

Now with the lead, Sacramento added two more in the bottom of the sixth when they took advantage of an El Paso error by Clay Dungan at shortstop. Dungan missed a ball in the hole to his right, with the ball skipping into left field that allowed Max Stassi and Jake Lamb to come around to score.

The final run-scoring inning was all about the long ball, as the River Cats crushed a trio of big flies that put the game on ice. The first two came in back-to-back fashion, as Encarnación ripped a full count offering over the wall to left field in no doubt fashion, the second homer of his rehab assignment (in six games). With the park still buzzing, McCray matched that blast with one of his own to right field, his fourth of the year that came on an 0-2 pitch.

A walk set up the final dinger, as Daniel Johnson left the yard for the third time in as many games, making him the first River Cat this season to homer in three straight contests. His low liner on a 2-2 offering just barely cleared the wall in right field but left his bat at 114.7 mph which is the second-hardest hit ball by a River Cat since the start of the 2023 season. That distinction belongs to Gary Sanchez, who smashed a single at 115.2 mph back on April 14, 2023 against Reno.

Ending the night with a pair of hits each was the duo of McCray and Johnson, with the former going 2-for-4 with a trio of RBI and a homer. Meanwhile, the latter was 2-for-4 with his homer and a pair of RBI, meaning three of his last four hits and 13 of his 28 hits with Sacramento have been for extra bases.

This six-game set comes to an end tomorrow, and the River Cats can earn a series split with another win when the two teams take the field at 1:05 p.m. (PT).