Big third inning leads River Cats over Redbirds

The Sacramento River Cats (18-28) used a big third inning and a strong outing from starter Michael Roth to down the Memphis Redbirds (29-19) 5-3 Thursday night at Raley Field.

First baseman Jae-Gyun Hwang opened the scoring for Sacramento by launching a double that caromed off the top of the center field fence, scoring Austin Slater. One batter later, Chris Shaw, who made his Triple-A debut tonight, drove in Hwang with a double of his own. Third baseman Juan Ciriaco capped off the inning with a two-run home run, putting the home side up 4-0.
Michael Roth stymied the Memphis offense over his six innings tonight as he allowed just one run on three hits while walking two and striking out five. He is now 4-0 at home with a 2.73 ERA. Kyle Crick struck out the side in the ninth for his fifth save.
The River Cats finish up their homestand tomorrow night behind right-hander Chris Stratton (0-2, 5.59) while the Redbirds counter with righty Josh Zeid (2-1, 7.05). First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. (PT) and the game can be heard live online at rivercats.com and on the air on Money 105.5 FM.
Postgame Notes
Quote of the night: "It was exciting. That's definitely something that I was glad to hear and something that every player wants to hear. I'm getting a chance to play at the next level and get a step closer to the goal." - Chris Shaw on getting his promotion to Triple-A.
Shaw: Chris Shaw made his Triple-A debut tonight after spending the first 37 games this season with Double-A Richmond…the No. 5 prospect in the Giants' organization finished the game 1-for-4 with a run and RBI while playing nine innings in left field.  
Hwang: Jae-Gyun Hwang now has three straight games with two or more RBI…he has driven in eight of the River Cats 16 runs over the past three games…collected his team-leading 13^th double and third triple tonight…leads the team with 27 RBI.
Roth: Left-hander Michael Roth earned his second straight win tonight…over his last four starts, the southpaw is 2-0 with a 2.66 ERA (23.2 IP, 7 ER)…has allowed one run in three of his eight starts…tied a season-high tonight with five strikeouts…Roth now owns a 28-14 strikeout to walk ratio.
Crick: Kyle Crick picked up his fifth save of the season…loaded the bases but struck out the side…now has 28 strikeouts over 19.2 innings and leads all PCL relievers with a 12.8 K/9.
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The Sacramento River Cats are the Triple-A affiliate of the three-time World Champion San Francisco Giants. The team plays at Raley Field in West Sacramento, consistently voted one of the top ballparks in America. River Cats Season Tickets, Mini-Plans, and Flex Plans can be purchased for the 2017 season by calling the River Cats Ticket Hotline at (916) 371-HITS (4487). For more information about the River Cats, visit www.rivercats.com. For information on other events at Raley Field, visit www.raleyfield.com.