Ishikawa comes in clutch for River Cats win

Reno, NV - After falling to the Reno Aces (69-60) in the series opener last night, the Sacramento River Cats (60-69) rallied late to overcome a series of errors. Big five-run innings for both clubs sent the afternoon into a seesaw tailspin, with Sacramento ending up on top. Seven extra base hits in a 16-hit night for the River Cats was capped off by a clutch three run blast from Travis Ishikawa in the top of the ninth for the win.  

The Aces ran the score up early in this day game off a rough first inning from Ty Blach. The southpaw started on a bad note by hitting the leadoff batter and continued to tumble. He gave up a double to A.J. Pollock and allowed him to score on a pickoff error, throwing the ball over the head of shortstop Ruben Tejada while an appeal was happening on the play. The tough inning was finalized with a solo shot that gave Reno the 3-0 lead, Blach's ninth home run allowed this year.

However, after the initial struggle, Blach settled in nicely to complete six innings. He quickly forgot the preceding frames, throwing 93 pitches, 65 for strikes, giving up just one walk while striking out seven. The righty batter also pulled his weight at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI. Blach (13-7) takes a no decision in the outing and remains just one win short of the River Cats franchise high of 14 (Godfrey, 2011; Duchscherer, 2003).

Behind him, the offense provided the run support needed for the win. A big fourth inning gave Sacramento its first lead on the day. Trailing 4-1, a leadoff triple from Jarrett Parker preceded doubles from Austin Slater, Ruben Tejada, and Myles Schroder. The River Cats sent ten men to the plate in the inning alone to score five runs on seven hits to take the 6-4 lead.

The lead just wouldn't hold though as Jean Machi couldn't work his way out of a bases loaded, one out jam and allowed Reno to take a 9-7 lead on four hits. The blown save is just his second on the year.

The 'Cats weren't ready to go down. Aces' closer Jimmie Sherfy put two men on base for Slater in the top of the ninth, who started the team's comeback and singled to cut the deficit to one. Then, to complete the rally, Ishikawa homered to drive in three for the final 11-9 lead. Machi finished the game with a perfect ninth inning in redemption of his blown save and took the win in the ballgame.

As of late, the offense has been led by the youngest hitter in the lineup. Austin Slater entered the series just 1-for-10 against Reno. However, the 23 year-old went 3-for-5 today with two doubles, making him 7-for-9 in the series, with four extra base hits and four RBI. In his last 11 games, the leftfielder is hitting .487 (19-for-39).

The River Cats send right-hander Albert Suarez (3-3, 3.98) to the hill tomorrow night for his first appearance against Reno. The Aces counter with RHP Matt Buschmann (8-9, 5.16), who took the loss in his only outing against Sacramento this year. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. (PT) and the game can be heard live online at rivercats.com and on the air on ESPN 1320.

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The Sacramento River Cats are the Triple-A affiliate of the 2014 World Champion San Francisco Giants. The team plays at Raley Field in West Sacramento, consistently voted one of the top ballparks in America. River Cats Season Tickets, Mini-Plans, and Flex Plans can be purchased for the 2016 season by calling the River Cats Ticket Hotline at (916) 371-HITS (4487). For more information about the River Cats, visit www.rivercats.com. For information on other events at Raley Field, visit www.raleyfield.com.