Johnson’s four-hit night carries River Cats to victory

River Cats 8, Rainiers 2

July 25, 2021

West Sacramento, Calif. — Outfielder Bryce Johnson reached base five times and infielder Will Toffey launched his first career Triple-A home run as the Sacramento River Cats (29-39) toppled the Tacoma Rainiers (36-32) on Saturday night. Johnson, who entered game three of the series with just six hits in his

West Sacramento, Calif. — Outfielder Bryce Johnson reached base five times and infielder Will Toffey launched his first career Triple-A home run as the Sacramento River Cats (29-39) toppled the Tacoma Rainiers (36-32) on Saturday night.

Johnson, who entered game three of the series with just six hits in his last 39 at-bats, raked two singles, a double, and his sixth home run of the year while driving in four runs in an impressive 4-for-4 night at the plate that also included a walk. It’s Johnson’s 19th multi-hit game, though not the most he’s had in a game this season as he went 5-for-5 on May 10 at Las Vegas.

Toffey, who joined the River Cats on July 3 when he was acquired from the New York Mets in exchange for lefty Anthony Banda, went 2-for-3 with a walk while clearing the fence for the first time at the new level. Toffey had 611 plate appearances in 166 games in Double-A before debuting on July 9.

Sunday’s doubleheader looms in what will be a pair of seven-inning ballgames to make up for a rained-out contest back on June 13. Sacramento right-hander Akeel Morris will take the ball for game one while Tacoma will send lefty Ian McKinney to the mound. Both squads have yet to announce a starter for part two of the twin bill. First pitch for game one is set for 12:05 p.m. (PT), while game two will follow at 5:05 p.m. (PT). Listen to Johnny Doskow call the both games live online at rivercats.com or on the MiLB First Pitch app.

Additional Notes

After Sam Wolff pitched a scoreless first inning as the opener, right-hander Kervin Castro dazzled Rainiers hitters for the next three frames. He faced nine batters and struck out six of them in what turned out to be a great way to rebound after two tough outings over the last couple weeks. Castro’s six punchouts puts his strikeout percentage at 33.3% on the year – currently second highest on the team.
River Cats hitters struck out just six times while drawing nine walks on Saturday night. Six of those free passes were issued by Tacoma right-hander Yohan Ramirez, who walked four consecutive batters to begin the seventh inning.