River Cats lead early, but Grizzlies claws back for walk-off

FRESNO, CA - Despite taking a lead into the eighth inning, the Sacramento River Cats (42-56) fell to the Fresno Grizzlies (56-41) 8-7 in extra innings. Right-hander Shaun Anderson was impressive in his first start since being promoted from Double-A Richmond.

After last night's outburst, the River Cats' offense picked up right where they left off with two runs in the first inning. Peter Bourjos, who has reached base in each of the five games he's played for Sacramento, came around to score on a base hit by Miguel Gómez. The offense continued in the third inning with a two-run blast from Mac Williamson increased the lead to 4-0.
River Cats starter Shaun Anderson did a stellar job of keeping the first-place Grizzlies at bay in his Triple-A debut. The young right-hander struck out six batters and allowed just four hits over five innings pitched. Relief pitcher Pierce Johnson helped preserve the River Cats lead, striking out five of the seven batters he faced in another solid outing.
Late in the ballgame, however, Fresno would take the lead 7-6 in the eighth inning. The River Cats evened things up thanks to Williamson's fourth RBI of the night, and the game would go into extra innings. The Grizzlies got the walk-off winner in the tenth inning on a sacrifice fly and the River Cats leave Fresno splitting the series at two games apiece.
The River Cats head to El Paso tomorrow for a three-game series, and right-hander Chris Stratton (0-0, 9.00) will be making his second start for Sacramento. He is set to square off fellow righty Walker Lockett (3-8, 5.20) for the Chihuahuas. 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, and on the air on Money 105.FM.
Additional Notes
· In addition to reaching base in each of his first five games, Bourjos has ten hits and seven runs, good for a .435 average and 1.045 OPS.
· The River Cats fall to 3-2 in extra-inning games this season after their last two have been against the Fresno Grizzlies. The home team has won each of the five extra-inning games that Sacramento has been involved in this season.