Villar, Pereda leave yard twice, River Cats homer six times to down Chihuahuas

West Sacramento, Calif. — The Sacramento River Cats (28-40) put on a show for the home crowd, out-slugging the visiting El Paso Chihuahuas (38-30) to even the series with a 13-5 win on Wednesday.

The River Cats tied their season-high with six home runs, two each coming from third baseman David Villar and catcher Jhonny Pereda, one being a pinch-hit homer by shortstop Arquímedes Gamboa, and the final coming off the bat of rehabbing San Francisco designated hitter LaMonte Wade Jr.

Villar’s impressive day at the plate was the 25-year-old’s third multi-homer game, second with six RBIs, and seventh multi-walk game. The two home runs gave Villar 20 on the season, regained sole possession of the PCL lead, and tied Villar’s career-high, which he set in 2021 with Double-A Richmond.

While Villar has consistently left the yard, Pereda’s two-homer day comes as a pleasant surprise. The 26-year-old backstop launched his first and second home runs of the season, finishing 2-for-4 with three runs and a walk.

Gamboa came off the bench and made it 9-2 with his fourth homer, and the River Cats’ third pinch-hit home run of the season.

After Pereda walked, Wade launched a ball 425 feet (106.8 exit velocity) for his second home run for Sacramento. Wade led off for Sacramento, going 2-for-5 with three runs, the two-run home run, and a double.

Lefty Enmanuel De Jesus (3-1) won his second straight game with 5.0 solid innings on the mound, striking out six while allowing two runs on seven hits and two walks.

Right-hander Raynel Espinal (5-1, 3.93) looks to make it two in a row with a win on Thirsty Thursday. Espinal will take on righty Pedro Avila (1-2, 7.09) at 6:45 p.m. (PT). Listen to Johnny Doskow call the game online at rivercats.com or on the MiLB First Pitch app.

Additional Notes

• First baseman Yermín Mercedes had a strong River Cats debut, going 2-for-5.
• Despite not getting a hit, center fielder Heliot Ramos found a way to make an impact on the bases, going 0-for-3 with two runs, a walk, and two hit-by-pitches.