River Cats defeat Isotopes for fourth consecutive time

Albuquerque, NM -- The Sacramento River Cats (25-26) secured another lopsided victory over the Albuquerque Isotopes (24-28) for their fourth straight win against the club, winning 12-5 on Memorial Day.
The River Cats fell behind early on a two-run shot off the bat of Isotopes center fielder Sam Hilliard. But they responded quickly thanks to two doubles in the second inning, as well as a run-scoring single from left fielder Anthony García, who finished the afternoon with four hits for his 10th multi-hit game of the season.
Then with the ballgame close in the eighth, second baseman Levi Michael clubbed his fifth home run of the season -- a three-run shot to give Sacramento a four-run cushion. Two more balls would clear the fence in the ninth as Aramis Garcia and Ryan Howard each hit two-run shots to blow the game open. All three home runs in the final two innings came with two outs.
Switch-pitcher Pat Venditte, making just his 12th start of his career, was excellent on short notice as he struck out eight and walked none in 3.1 innings. His eight punch-outs set a career-high, as well as helped the staff post their highest strikeout total (15) of the season.
On Tuesday in the series finale, the River Cats will be seeking their first series sweep since August 2017 and their first road sweep since June 2015. Lefty Ty Blach (1-2, 6.41) will be on the hill for Sacramento facing Isotopes righty Peter Lambert (2-2, 5.70). First pitch is set for 5:35 p.m. (PT). Catch all of the action live online at rivercats.com, on the MiLB First Pitch app, or on Money 105.5 FM beginning at 6:00 p.m.
Additional Notes
• A win on Tuesday would not only give the club their first sweep on the road since 2015, but would bring them back to the .500 mark for the first time since May 7.
• After setting, and then tying, their lowest hit output (3) in back-to-back games, the River Cats offense has exploded for 47 hits in their last three games, including 21 extra-base hits.