Lamb Leaves the Yard but Sacramento Stopped by Reno

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Jake Lamb crushed his first homer of the season, but that, along with a Brett Wisely RBI double, would be all the offense for the Sacramento River Cats as they dropped their first game of a six-game set to the Reno Aces by a 7-3 final on Tuesday.

Playing some day baseball on a Triple-A School Day, the Reno Aces (15-13) were the team to reach the scoreboard first as they plated a pair in the opening frame. Jake McCarthy singled to start things off and advanced to second on an error from a failed pickoff attempt by River Cats (14-14) starter Mason Black (0-2), eventually scoring in the next at-bat on a Jordan Lawlar double.

Lawlar didn’t have to wait long, as the next at-bat he crossed the plate thanks to an Ildemaro Vargas single into right field that quickly pushed the game to 2-0.

Reno added on to that lead in the top of the third with a single tally, coming with one swing of the bat by Lawlar as he launched a solo shot to left field on a 1-2 pitch.

Sacramento finally drew level in the home half of the fourth, with Marco Luciano setting the stage with a walk. That extended Luciano’s reached base safely streak to 14 games and is one game shy of tying Hunter Bishop for the longest such streak on the River Cats this season.

Luciano scored quickly after reaching on Wisely’s RBI double, as the latter sent a liner into right-center that brought Luciano around to score from second after he swiped his first bag of the year. With Wisely still aboard, Lamb found the perfect time to launch his first homer of the season, a two-run dinger that cleared the short fence in right field. It was his first homer in 26 games played, the longest homerless streak on Sacramento to start the season, tying the game at 3-3.

Unbeknownst to the River Cats that would be their final time scoring in the contest, but the Aces kept plugging away and found four more runs in the top of the fifth for a lead they would not again relinquish. A walk and double put two in scoring position before a walk loaded the bases, and when it seemed as if Sacramento might be in trouble, they caught a break on a fielder’s choice to cut down the runner at home to keep the score tied.

They could not avoid danger for long as Kai-Wei Teng received a rough entry into the ballgame, immediately surrendering a grand slam to left center by Trey Mancini on a 1-0 pitch. That brought the game to its final resting spot of 7-3 despite the River Cats putting a pair of runners on in the ninth, with the game ending on a double play.

Only Lamb had a multi-hit day by going 2-for-4 with his pair of extra-base hits, while Luciano closed 1-for-3 with a run scored and a walk.

The River Cats will look to get back in the win column in just over 24 hours, as the two teams return to Sutter Health Park for game two of the set on Wednesday evening at 6:45 p.m. (PT).