Sacramento Fights Back but Falls in Walk Off by El Paso

EL PASO, Tex. – The El Paso Chihuahuas controlled the early innings while the Sacramento River Cats held the advantage in the middle frames, but a tie game that entered the ninth ended with El Paso winning in walk-off fashion by a 7-6 final on Friday.

After a run in the first thanks to an RBI double by Eguy Rosario, the Chihuahuas (19-30) added four more in the second that started with a leadoff homer from Cal Mitchell on a 3-2 pitch. His homer to right field set the tone for the inning, which saw a run score due to a throwing error on a failed pickoff before consecutive two-out RBI hits from Nate Mondou and Graham Pauley pushed the score to 5-0.

In the fourth started the River Cats’ (29-20) response, plating four of their own in the frame. Casey Schmitt and Trenton Brooks each notched singles to put a pair at the corners, allowing David Villar to deliver an RBI knock down the right field line. The line kept moving with Donny Sands as he produced an RBI single, then scored on the next at-bat thanks to an RBI triple from Donovan Walton. It was his first triple for Walton since he was a member of the Tacoma Rainiers on May 7, 2022.

Two batters into the fifth and Sacramento snatched the lead, making the Chihuahuas pay for a leadoff walk to Brooks. Doing the damage was Villar, who smashed his fifth homer of the year 457 feet over the wall in left center to make the game 6-5.

That lead was short lived as Rosario struck again to begin the home half of the fifth, sending an 0-1 pitch out to center field that knotted the score at 6-6.

Even was the score entering the ninth inning, though it wasn’t for lack of trying as the Chihuahuas had numerous scoring chances including the bases loaded with one out in the seventh inning. Escaping danger each time was Spencer Bivens, who also worked around a leadoff triple in the eighth to finish 3.0 scoreless frames.

Though Sacramento put runners at the corners once again with two outs in the ninth, they failed to capitalize as they were 4-for-12 with runners in scoring position. That left the door open for El Paso, who converted in the bottom of the inning thanks to an RBI double from Mason McCoy, the last Chihuahua to reach base in the contest.

Charged with the loss was Justin Garza (3-1), his first of the campaign after he allowed the winning run on two hits while getting through just 0.1 inning. That snapped the three-game winning streak of the River Cats, their sixth such streak of the year.

Villar ended his night 3-for-5 with a run scored and three RBI along with his homer, and Walton notched a multi-hit game behind his two-RBI triple. In total, eight of nine River Cats that came to the plate collected a hit, including Hunter Bishop who was 1-for-4 with a walk and has logged a hit in each of his nine career Triple-A games.

Sacramento will try to get back in the win column tomorrow when the two teams line up for first pitch at 5:35 p.m. (PT).