Five-run ninth inning dooms River Cats

Breyvic Valera goes 3-for-4 in tough 8-4 loss

Sacramentoâs Tyler Bede struck out eight in four innings of work but, Sacramento was defeated by Tacoma 6-5 April 5,2019 to even up the series. Ralph Thompson/ River Cats (Ralph Thompson)

1:24 AM EDT

West Sacramento, Calif. - The Sacramento River Cats (6-6) held the high-powered Las Vegas Aviators (10-3) in check for much of the night, but the league's highest scoring offense came on late to take the series opener 8-4.
River Cats' starter Tyler Beede was solid once again in his third start of the season. Beede's lone blemish was a three-run home run in the second, which gave the Aviators a 3-0 lead. Beede fanned nine Las Vegas batters on the night, setting a new season-high. He also held a potent Las Vegas offense to just two hits through five innings of work.
Sacramento's offense would respond with two runs of their own in the bottom of the second before tying up the game in the fifth on an oddball double play. Sacramento would take the lead 4-3 in the sixth before surrendering five runs in the ninth to drop the series opener to the Aviators.
The River Cats take the field again tomorrow afternoon as right-hander Shaun Anderson (1-1, 5.63) gets the nod for the River Cats. Anderson will look to get back on track after an outing to forget last time out. The Bees will throw right-hander Paul Blackburn (2-0, 2.25). First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m. (PT). Catch all of the action live online at rivercats.com, or on the MiLB First Pitch app.
Additional Notes

Right-hander Tyler Beede set a new high mark for strikeouts at nine for a River Cats pitcher. He also held the previous team high with eight strikeouts
Infielder Breyvic Valera went 3-4 on the night, joining outfielders Mike Gerber and Henry Ramos as the only River Cats to collect three hits in a game this year.
Gerber saw his seven game hit-streak come to an end. He was robbed of a hit in the fifth inning on a wild sequence that ended with him recording the final out by leaving the base path.

*
The Sacramento River Cats are the Triple-A affiliate of the three-time World Champion San Francisco Giants. The team plays at Raley Field in West Sacramento, consistently voted one of the top ballparks in America. Season Tickets, Mini-Plans, and Flex Plans can be purchased for the River Cats' 20th season by calling the River Cats Ticket Hotline at (916) 371-HITS (4487). The only place to guarantee official River Cats tickets is at www.rivercats.com. For information on other events at Raley Field, visit www.raleyfield.com.