Rainiers road dominance continues in California with extra-inning classic

West Sacramento, CA (8/19/21) – The Tacoma Rainiers (52-39) improved to 15-6 in their last 21 road games on Thursday night, taking the series-opener from the Sacramento River Cats (38-52) by a 10-7 final in 12 innings at Sutter Health Park. The win allowed Tacoma to avoid what would have been its first four-game losing streak of the season. The 12-inning game was Tacoma’s second of 2021, and their first since the season-opener, a 7-6 home win over El Paso on May 6.

The Rainiers took a 2-0 lead in the second inning, when Jose Marmolejos blasted his 21st homer of the season to right field; he has driven in 64 runs in only 65 games with Tacoma this season. A Brian O’Keefe walk set the table.

Tacoma RHP Ryan Weber retired the first 13 batters he faced; in his last start he set down the first eight batters, and the final 17 in a row the start before that. Before the River Cats broke through with three singles and scored a run in the fifth (Mike Tauchman RBI), Weber had lowered his ERA to 0.42 over his first 21.1 IP with the Rainiers.

Sacramento starter Sammy Long worked five innings on a pitch count (65), allowing only one hit on the Marmolejos homer. O’Keefe was his only walk, and the lefty struck out four.

Sacramento’s Thairo Estrada lifted his eighth homer in the sixth, a solo shot that tied the game 2-2. Weber wound up going seven innings, allowing only four hits. He struck out seven, and has still not walked a batter in 24.1 IP with Tacoma. Both runs against Weber were earned, as his ERA sits at 1.11 with the Rainiers.

In the seventh, Tacoma un-tied the game after River Cats reliever Reyes Moronta walked the bases loaded. Marcus Wilson delivered a two-run double to left, before Dillon Thomas’s RBI single two batters later extended the Rainiers lead to 5-2.

Jason Vosler homered (13) to right field to lead off the bottom of the ninth, tightening the score to 5-3. With the bases loaded and nobody out, the Rainiers turned a 4-6-3 (Witte-Walton-Marmolejos) double play that made it a 5-4 game. When Jason Krizan blooped a single to left, the River Cats had suddenly tied the game with a three-run frame.

EXTRA INNINGS

With Thomas as the automatic runner at second base to begin the 10th inning, Wyatt Mathisen doubled him home. Mathisen then cruised home on a Donovan Walton RBI single for a 7-5 Rainiers advantage. After the River Cats tied it with two of their own in the 10th, and held Tacoma scoreless in the 11th, Rainiers RHP Darin Gillies held serve by retiring Sacramento in order in the home 11th, with a strikeout to end the inning and strand their automatic runner at second base as well.

The Rainiers re-took the lead 8-7 in the 12th when Taylor Trammell walked with the bases loaded. When O’Keefe drew his fourth walk of the night a batter later, it was 9-7. Marmolejos then made it a three-run inning and lead with an infield single, his third RBI of the night. All three 12th inning runs scored with two out.

Staying on for the home 12th, Gillies struck out another, before inducing a double play to end it as the winning pitcher with two perfect innings.

Tacoma is 4-3 in extra innings in 2021, and will next be in action on Friday night at Sacramento, another 7:05 p.m. PT first pitch.

Rainiers broadcaster Mike Curto will have full coverage on TacomaRainiers.com. All 2021 Rainiers games, home and away, can also be heard for free on the MiLB First Pitch app. HD video broadcasts of every home game can be viewed with an MiLB.TV subscription. (Use code: RAINIERS to save $10 on an annual subscription.

About the Tacoma Rainiers

The Tacoma Rainiers are the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. The Rainiers are a member of Triple-A West. Tacoma has been a Mariners affiliate since establishing the Rainiers moniker in 1995.

Single-game tickets for all remaining 2021 Rainiers home games are now available. Questions regarding season tickets can be directed to [email protected].

The most up-to-date news and notes about the Tacoma Rainiers and Cheney Stadium can be found at WeRTacoma.com, or by following the Rainiers on Twitter (@RainiersLand), Instagram (@tacomarainiers) and liking the team on Facebook.