Long balls lift River Cats over Bees

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - The Sacramento River Cats (51-46) leaned on a trio of home runs and some new faces out of the bullpen to defeat the Salt Lake Bees (41-56) 8-5 and secure a series victory in Salt Lake City.
River Cats starter Yoanys Quiala turned in a solid performance Wednesday night to pick up his team leading fifth win of the season. The right-hander tossed six innings and allowed four earned runs on eight hits while fanning seven batters. Lefty Travis Bergen, who rejoined the club today on a Major League rehab assignment, and recently added right-hander Sam Wolff worked final three innings, scattering four hits and allowing just an unearned run while striking out four batters. Wolff picked up his first Triple-A save in his River Cats debut.
Three homers did much of the heavy lifting for the River Cats' offense on Wednesday night. The first came in the second inning when Francisco Peña smacked his eighth homer of the year. Then in the seventh, with the game knotted up at four, the River Cats struck again with a solo blast from Levi Michael and a two-run jack from Mike Gerber. The 8-5 win, combined with a loss from the Fresno Grizzlies, gives the River Cats a three game advantage in the Pacific Northern division.
Sacramento will try to win four of five as the take on Salt Lake tomorrow night in the series finale. Right-hander Brandon Beachy (0-0, No ERA) will make his first career start for the River Cats as he continues his journey back to the big leagues. Salt Lake will give lefty Patrick Sandoval (3-4, 7.71) the nod. First pitch is set for 6:05 p.m. (PT). Catch all of the action live online at rivercats.com, on the MiLB First Pitch app, on Money 105.5 FM (PT).
Additional Notes

• For the first time in 72 games, infielder Abiatal Avelino did not play. This game also snaps his streak of 30 straight starts. The last time Avelino did not play was on May 2 in Albuquerque. The slick-fielding Avelino leads the team in games played this season with 90.
• Also for the first time this season, the River Cats reached double-digit hits for the fifth straight game. Over their last five games, the River Cats have combined for 37 runs on 65 total hits.

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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. Season Tickets, Mini-Plans, and Flex Plans can be purchased for the River Cats' 20th season by calling the River Cats Ticket Hotline at (916) 371-HITS (4487). The only place to guarantee official River Cats tickets is at www.rivercats.com. For information on other events at Raley Field, visit www.raleyfield.com.