River Cats walk off to split doubleheader

WEST SACRAMENTO, CA - The Sacramento River Cats (20-18) fell in game one, but came back resiliently in game two against the Tacoma Rainiers (18-20) in a Mother's Day double-header on Sunday afternoon.

The River Cats dropped game one 3-2 despite a six-inning outing from right-hander Casey Kelly. Kelly struck out three batters and walked one, but allowed a two-run home run to Chris Herrmann in the second inning and a solo shot to Daniel Vogelbach in the sixth. Hunter Pence did go 2-for-4 with one RBI, but Sacramento left nine runners on base and squandered some key opportunities.
After a 30 minute break, the River Cats offense came alive in game two with ten hits. Héctor Sánchez went 2-for-3 with an RBI in the third inning and Chris Shaw blasted his tenth home run of the year in the fourth to give Sacramento a 4-2 lead. After Tacoma tied the game in the seventh, the River Cats won the game in the eighth as Caleb Gindl scampered home on an infield grounder by Eury Pérez to win 5-4.
The River Cats are back in action tomorrow for the fourth game of this five-game series. The River Cats will send right-hander Jose Flores (1-2, 4.28) to the bump and he'll match up against fellow righty Rob Whalen (4-2, 5.31). First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. (PT). Catch all of the action live online at rivercats.com, on the MiLB First Pitch app, and on the air on Money 105.5 FM.
Additional Notes
• Though it was not a full nine-inning game, the River Cats went to extra innings for the first time this season and walked off in the eighth inning
• RHP Dusten Knight felt discomfort while warming up to start for game two and was replaced by Madison Younginer. Younginer threw two innings of no-hit ball with three walks and two strikeouts.
• Shaw's team-leading tenth homer of the year traveled 355 feet with an exit velocity of 105 MPH.