Sacramento Nearly Splits Series, but Dodgers Take Finale

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Run-scoring hits in the third and fifth innings had the Sacramento River Cats ahead of the top team in the Pacific Coast League until the seventh, when the Oklahoma City Dodgers pushed across runs in each of the final three frames to snatch a series win with an 8-3 victory on Sunday.

In each of the first two innings the Dodgers (37-14) drew a pair of one-out walks, but River Cats (23-28) starter Kyle Harrison left them stranded with a strikeout and groundout in the first, then induced an inning-ending double play the next time out.

A Jacob Nottingham single in the home half of the second gave Sacramento their first base runner, but it wasn’t until the third when a Luis Matos double set the stage for last night’s hero Tyler Fitzgerald, driving him in with a single through the right side for the game’s opening run.

Harrison also allowed a runner in each the third and the fourth, the former a two-out single to Jonny DeLuca while the latter was a leadoff walk to Michael Busch. He would exit after 3.2 innings of work, turning the ball over to Cole Waites who was able to finish off the frame before returning for another clean inning in the fifth.

Sacramento added insurance with their next swings at the plate, using more two-out magic from the bat of Will Wilson as his sixth homer of the year was a high fly ball that just cleared the fence in left to make the score 2-0.

Following Luke Jackson striking out the side in his sixth inning, Melvin Adon ran into a jam to start the seventh after he hit his first batter and then walked the next. An RBI single from Devin Mann helped the Dodgers cut the deficit in half, with Oklahoma City equalizing later in the frame on a sacrifice fly.

In the Dodger eighth it was a leadoff walk and one-out single that put runners at the corners, setting up Jahmai Jones to pick up an RBI on a double to left field that gave Oklahoma City their first lead of the game, 3-2.

Sacramento did not trail for long as they leveled the contest in the bottom of the frame behind the second hit of the game from Nottingham, easily scoring Michael Gigliotti from second base as he was moving with the pitch. For Nottingham, it marked his second multi-hit effort in as many games he’s played with Sacramento.

However, the final of three consecutive run-scoring innings came in the top of the ninth for Oklahoma City, as a pair of hits alongside an error loaded the bases with no outs. Yonny Hernandez was the first to come through with a two-RBI single into center, Luke Williams followed with his own RBI hit through the left side, and the last run was provided by the bat of Mann as he also singled to center.

In a non-save situation, Nick Robertson allowed one hit but was able to shut the door in the ninth to preserve the 8-3 final. Taking credit for the win despite a blown save was Tayler Scott (3-0), his third of the season, while Jorge Guzman (1-2) took the loss for Sacramento.

Nottingham’s two knocks gave him the only multi-hit game for Sacramento, ending 2-for-4 with the RBI, while Wilson was 1-for-4 thanks to his team-leading sixth blast of the season. Also ending 1-for-4 was the duo of Matos and Fitzgerald, with Matos scoring while Fitzgerald drove him in.

Next week the River Cats will head to Tacoma for a six-game set with the Rainiers, starting with game one on Tuesday evening at 6:05 p.m.