Cats Stumble Late Against Chihuahuas

EL PASO, Texas – After extending their lead by scoring twice in the top of the seventh inning the Sacramento River Cats looked to be on their way to victory, but a pair of two-out home runs for the El Paso Chihuahuas helped steal a game from Sacramento on Wednesday, 7-5.

The River Cats (11-12) pushed across the game’s first run, doing so in the top of the first on a sacrifice fly that scored Marco Luciano, who had initially reached on a three-base error on a ball that he ripped into right field. Two innings later in the third and Sacramento added insurance, the first run crossing three batters into the inning when Grant McCray singled and Luciano doubled, with the former coming home on an RBI single from Brett Wisely.

Though the inning had a chance for more damage, the inning came to an end shortly after Victor Bericoto grounded into a double play that scored Luciano.

In the bottom half of the frame the Chihuahuas (11-12) reached the scoreboard and took two of those runs right back, the first of which came on a single up the middle from former River Cat Bryce Johnson. Johnson later scored in the frame as well, doing so on a wild pitch from Sacramento starter Mason Black.

The score of 3-2 held with the River Cats dancing around danger until they tacked onto their lead in the seventh, plating two insurance runs that pushed the lead back to three. Hunter Bishop opened the frame with a double into right and scored in the next at-bat on a Sergio Alcántara single into right center, while a sacrifice bunt attempt combined with an error had runners at the corners with no outs. Only Alcántara would eventually cross the plate, representing Sacramento’s final run on a wild pitch.

After two quick outs in the eighth was when the wheels started to come off, as Mike Brousseau had just one strike remaining before the end of the frame when he launched a three-run blast on a 2-2 offering from Justin Garza (1-1) over the wall in left center, tying the game at 5-5. A walk and a Tim Locastro home run to left field in the next two batters would also give El Paso their first lead of the game, one that needed to last just half an inning as the River Cats left a pair stranded in the top of the ninth.

Garza was charged with the loss, his first of the season along with his first blown save opportunity. Black started the contest and went five innings with two runs allowed on two hits, walking three and striking out two.

Sean Hjelle tossed yet another scoreless outing, working two innings and allowing one hit with one walk and one strikeout. That lowered his ERA this season to 1.35, and he has not allowed a run in any of his past six appearances (9.1 combined innings).

Sacramento logged 10 hits in the contest, one of which came from Bericoto as he has a hit in all three games he has played in while going 4-for-13 (.341). Both McCray and Luciano tallied a pair of hits, with the latter making each of his knocks a two-bagger. Max Stassi and Bishop each added a double for their only hit of the game, while Wisely drove in two of Sacramento’s five runs.

The River Cats will look to earn their first win of the series when the two teams line up for game three of the set on Thursday evening at 5:35 p.m. (PT) from Southwest University Park.