River Cats take five of six at Round Rock, winning their first series on the road this season

The River Cats earned a gentleman’s sweep over the Express in Round Rock, winning their first series on the road and first since April 7-10 when they swept the Las Vegas Aviators at home in a rain-shortened, four-game series.

The Cats’ wild series opener was only a taste of what was to come this series. Sacramento had a no-hit bid through 6.2 innings until Jonah Bride singled on a soft ground ball to Osleivis Basabe. It marked the first time Sac has gone hitless trough 6.0 innings since May 17, 2024.

Sacramento’s only no-hitter in franchise history came on September 3, 2021, when they had a near-perfect game, allowing no walks but hitting one batter.

Spencer Bivens was the starter but did not factor into the decision. He allowed no runs on no hits, with two walks and a season-high five strikeouts in a season-high 4.0 innings. It was the first 4.0-plus-inning no-hitter of Bivens’ career.

Basabe knocked his third home run of the season, a solo-shot to left field in the seventh, and Victor Bericoto homered that same inning, his fourth of the season, tied for the team-lead, scoring Buddy Kennedy.

The Cats’ pitching staff tallied 11 totals walks, a season high. The Cats allowed 11-or-more walks once in 2025 (April 1 at LV) and have done so 32 total times in franchise history...the team-high is 16 walks, done on April 18, 2023 vs. Round Rock.

It was the second time in Triple-A recorded history a team has allowed two-or-less hits and 11-or-more walks in a single game. It also happened on April 15, 2022, Louisville at Omaha, where Omaha allowed two hits and 14 walks, and won the game 6-4.

That wild win was followed by a wild loss, as Wednesday the Cats dropped the game in walkoff fashion, 5-6, after initially holding a 5-1 lead. It was their third walkoff defeat of the season, all of which have come in regulation time.

Seth Lonsway was the starter but did not factor into the decision. He allowed one run on three hits (1 HR) with two walks and a season-high five strikeouts in a season-high-tying 5.0 innings of work and on a season-high 83 pitches.

Jake Holton went 2-for-4, his sixth multi-hit game of the season, with a three-run double in the eighth that put the Kitties in a comfortable 5-1 position. That marked his first three-RBI at-bat since September 9, 2025, with the Double-A Erie SeaWolves (also a three-run double), and was also his third career three-run at-bat that was not a home run.

However, in the bottom of the eighth, Michael Helman knocked a three-run homer to put Round Rock just one run behind Sacramento. At the bottom of the ninth, Nick Pratto singled, followed by a walk allowed to Cameron Cauley, and Jonah Bride reached on a fielding error by pitcher Gregory Santos to load the bases.

Aaron Zavala hit a walkoff double that scored Pratto and Cauley to end the game. Was the first time this season they have lost a game when leading in the seventh and eighth innings, and, at the time, the Cats had dropped 12 of the 33 total games in which they had held the lead at some point.

Gregory Santos was dealt his first loss since April 6, 2025 with Seattle at San Francisco, and his first blown save/loss combo since July 24, 2024 with Seattle vs. the Los Angeles Angels.

Thursday, they brought it back with a 12-1 win, tying their largest margin of victory this season (also, 11-0 vs. LV). Carson Whisenhunt was the starter and earned his third win of the season, allowing one run on six hits, with one walk and three strikeouts in a season-high-tying 6.1 innings of work.

Infielder Aeverson Arteaga, called up from Double-A Richmond on May 12, made his Triple-A debut in a big way by knocking a 382-foot, three-run shot to left center field in the seventh. This marked the first time a player has homered in their Triple-A debut with the Cats since Joey Bart did so on May 6, 2021.

Before that, Arteaga also knocked a single in the fifth for his first career Triple-A hit, followed by a two-run single in the sixth. He totaled five RBI on the night – the second time in his career batting in five-or-more runners – and became the third River Cat to have a five-plus RBI game this season, behind Osleivis Basabe and Bryce Eldridge, who each have had six-RBI games.

The Cats won 8-4 on Friday without hitting a home run, their first time doing so since April 19. River Cats batters were plunked four times for the second time this season, including apparent baseball magnet Drew Cavanaugh who was hit twice for the first time since August 26, 2025 with Richmond.

Blade Tidwell was the starter but did not factor into the decision. He allowed three runs on three hits – including back-to-back homers – with two walks and four strikeouts in four innings of work. Was his first time allowed back-to-back longballs since July 2, 2025 with the Mets at Milwaukee, when he allowed consecutive home runs to Christian Yelich and Jackson Chourio.

John Michael Bertrand earned the win, his fourth of the season and fourth-straight. He pitched three scoreless innings, allowing two hits and fanning two batters. Bertrand became the second Pacific Coast League pitcher to earn four wins without a loss. The other being Samy Natera Jr. who was 5-0 with no starts.

Logan Porter went 2-for-4 with a two-run single in the fourth, followed by a two-run single in the fifth. He also knocked a sac fly in the seventh to give him five total runs batted in, the first five-RBI game of his career.

Sacramento clinched the series victory on Saturday, 3-2, their first three-game win streak since April 4 (2)-April 15 when they won seven-straight. It was a rough start as the Kitties allowed three stolen bases in the first inning, including a steal of home from Cam Cauley. It was the first time the team had allowed three stolen bases in the first inning since August 23, 2023 at El Paso, and the sixth time in franchise history.

Carson Seymour was the starter but did not factor into the decision, allowing one run on six hits, with one walk and a season-high seven strikeouts in a Triple-A career-high-tying 6.0 quality innings. Carson struck out the side on three swinging strikeouts in the sixth, his first time striking out the side this season. The last time he struck out the side in three swinging strikeouts was September 6, 2023 with Double-A Richmond.

Grant McCray knocked his fourth home run of the season, a two-out, two-run shot to left center field to put Sacramento ahead 2-1. This tied him with Victor Bericoto and Buddy Kennedy for most home runs on the season (4). It also marked his first two-out longball since June 19, 2025.

Finally, they capped it off Sunday afternoon with a ninth inning, come-from-behind, 7-5 victory. Spencer Bivens was the starter but did not factor into the decision. He allowed three runs on five hits, including one home run, with no walks and three strikeouts in a Triple-A career-high 4.2 innings of work and 75 pitches. Sac’s only run before the ninth inning came on an Osleivis Basabe RBI double in the fifth.

After the eighth, the game looked all but lost as the Cats were down 5-1. Logan Porter stepped up to the plate at the top of the ninth and singled to spark a six-run comeback frame.

Turner Hill, Aeverson Arteaga, Nate Furman, and Buddy Kennedy each followed with singles of their own. Victor Bericoto hit a sac fly and reached on a fielding error. Next, Basabe knocked a three-run double to put the Cats up 7-5. It was his first three-hit game and fourth multi-extra-base-hit game of the season.

In five games this series, Basabe batted .474 (9-for-19) with five doubles, one home run, seven RBI, three walks, no strikeouts, one stolen base, an .895 slugging percentage and a 1.440 OPS.

Sunday marked the Cats’ first time recording six-or-more hits in the ninth since August 22, 2024 and first time recording six-or-more runs in the ninth since April 10, 2025. Their last comeback win of that nature was September 1, 2024 when they were down 9-4 vs. Las Vegas, and came back with seven runs in the bottom of the ninth to win the game 11-9.

The Kitties have now won four games in a row for the first time since winning seven-straight from April 4 (2)-April 10.

Sacramento ended the series with a plus-19 run differential and a happy plane ride home.