River Cats give in to Aces in 17-inning, five-hour marathon

In the longest game in the Pacific Coast League this season, the Sacramento River Cats (23-37) were unable to outlast the Reno Aces (33-23), falling 6-4 in 17 innings Friday night at Raley Field. 

Sacramento assumed control early, taking a 4-1 lead into the sixth inning by way of two RBI groundouts and two RBI singles. Reno answered back in their half of the sixth however, pushing three runs across off River Cats starter Joan Gregorio to even things up.
11 innings and three hours later, Reno finally broke through for two runs off Carlos Moncrief in the 17^th inning. Tonight was Moncrief's first pitching appearance since 2009 with the Cleveland Indians Arizona League. He gave up two runs on four hits over two innings of work.
Reno also threw a position player on the mound, catcher Willians Astudillo. Astudillo threw two shutout innings against the River Cats, giving up just one hit.
Sacramento will send Roberto Gomez (1-3, 5.67) to the hill for game two tomorrow night. Reno will counter with right-hander Braden Shipley (5-1, 3.93). 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 ESPN 1320.
Postgame Notes
Free Baseball: The River Cats played their longest game since July 1, 2015 (15 innings, 4:54)…the last time the River Cats had a game last longer than five hours was April 11, 2015 (18 innings, 5:22)…tonight was Sacramento' the first loss at home in extra innings this season …Sacramento now owns a 4-4 record in extra-innings.
In relief: After Gregorio's departure in the fifth inning, Sacramento used a total of six relief pitchers…right-hander Dusten Knight tied a season-high with three innings of relief…all six combined for 11.2 innings, nine hits, two walks, and eight strikeouts.
Gregorio: Right-hander Joan Gregorio went 5.1 innings tonight, allowing four runs on six hits while walking three…tied a season-high with seven strikeouts…threw 99 pitches (63 for strikes) and first-pitch strikes to 15 of the 24 batters he faced.  
Swiped: The River Cats stole three bases tonight, bringing their season total to 51 on the year...their 51 stolen bases are the fifth most in the PCL…have been caught only 10 times, second fewest in the league (84% success rate)
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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.