Globe iconLogin iconRecap iconSearch iconTickets icon

River Cats win on walk-off pickle in extras

Home runs from Freeman, Ramos and Michael key in 7-6 extra inning win
Ralph Thompson/River Cats (Ralph Thompson)
May 11, 2019

West Sacramento, CA. - The Sacramento River Cats (17-18) picked up a win in their series finale with the Fresno Grizzlies (18-17), pushing across the winning run in the tenth inning for a 7-6 victory.The River Cats forced extra innings for the second straight night at Raley Field, coming back

West Sacramento, CA. - The Sacramento River Cats (17-18) picked up a win in their series finale with the Fresno Grizzlies (18-17), pushing across the winning run in the tenth inning for a 7-6 victory.
The River Cats forced extra innings for the second straight night at Raley Field, coming back from an early 3-0 deficit. Sacramento used three homers to tie things up at five apiece in the sixth. Then, trailing by a run in the ninth with two outs and a runner on second, Brock Stassi roped a double down the line to score Mike Yastrzemski. Stassi's double extended his Triple-A on-base streak to 22 games dating back to last season.
The winning run came in the tenth on a ground ball off the bat of Abiatal Avelino, which forced newcomer Ryan Howard into a pickle between third and home. After a short back-and-forth, a throw hit Howard in the back and allowed him to score to win the game for the River Cats.
Starter Ty Blach worked through an up-and-down six innings, surrendering five runs and striking out four. Newcomer Dillion McNamara and Tyler Rogers were fantastic out of the bullpen, working a scoreless ninth and tenth.
Righty Enderson Franco (1-0, 6.48) will get the start in game one as Sacramento opens a four-game series with the El Paso Chihuahuas. El Paso will go with lefty Logan Allen (3-1, 5.16). First pitch is set for 7:05 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.
Additional Notes

  • Sacramento has jumped all over the first pitch of the at-bat this year, hitting a league leading 18 home runs. The next closest team is Iowa with 12 homers.
  • Ronnie Freeman hit his first home run of the season. The last time Freeman went yard was on June 26, 2018 at Albuquerque.

*
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.