Sacramento Slams Way to Victory in El Paso

EL PASO, Tex. – The Sacramento River Cats scored five times in the first three innings, but it was a five-spot during the seventh that put the game away as they secured an 11-4 victory over the El Paso Chihuahuas in the series opener on Tuesday.

Doing much of the damage for the River Cats (27-19) on the night was Tyler Fitzgerald, who was making his season debut with Sacramento after making the San Francisco Giants’ Opening Day roster and playing in 22 games. He got all action moving in the first, lining a leadoff single into left field that eventually saw him steal second and score on a David Villar single.

It was a pair of firsts in the second for the River Cats, as Brett Auerbach hit his first Triple-A home run that traveled 439 feet out to left field, scoring Jakson Reetz who had reached with a walk. On the very next pitch, Fitzgerald launched his first home run of the season, just one year removed from hitting 20 with the River Cats in 2023. That marked just the second time that Sacramento had hit back-to-back home runs this season, with the first instance coming from Casey Schmitt and Trenton Brooks on April 30 against Tacoma in the third inning.

Brady Whalen earned his first Triple-A RBI in the third, as he was the second half of consecutive two-out knocks, scoring Reetz who had doubled in front of Whalen.

The Chihuahuas (18-28) tried to keep pace with a duo of two-run frames, first doing so during the second thanks to RBI singles by Oscar Mercardo and former River Cat Bryce Johnson. Later in the fifth they plated two more, one of which was a leadoff homer from Mercado while a Johnson double also resulted in a run in the next at-bat behind a single from Nate Mondou.

That’s when the River Cats broke the game wide open, doing so with a five-run seventh inning that was highlighted by the first River Cats grand slam of the season. Who else but Fitzgerald as he stepped to the dish with the bases loaded, though Sacramento did so without a hit. Ready in a 2-1 count, Fitzgerald blasted one to straight away center for his second homer of the night, making him the sixth River Cat this season with a two-homer game.

It was the first Sacramento slam since Reetz hit one last year on July 30, 2023 during a 17-16 loss at Albuquerque. During the 2023 season Sacramento hit nine grand slams, which were the most since they also hit nine during the 2012 campaign. The franchise record for grand slams (since 2005) is 11, which was done in 2005.

For Fitzgerald, he became the first River Cat to hit two homers including a grand slam since Reetz did so last year during that same July 30 contest against the Isotopes. The Louisville product ended his night scoring three runs and driving in five, making him the 27th River Cat (since 2005) to achieve the feat, and one of 19 to do so while also hitting a pair of homers. All told, Fitzgerald reached base five times to make him the second River Cat this season to do so (also: Heliot Ramos), though he fell a triple shy of the first Sacramento cycle since Adam Duvall on April 19, 2015.

Pitching was mostly sharp throughout the contest, though Sacramento starter Carson Whisenhunt fell just one out shy of qualifying for his first win of the season. He lasted 4.2 innings while giving up four runs on five hits, striking out eight in the process. It was the seventh time punching out five batters or more for the southpaw.

Earning credit for the win was Raymond Burgos (1-0), who tossed 2.1 scoreless frames and allowed just one hit while striking out three, his first victory of 2024. Tanner Andrews worked the final two innings, failing to yield a hit while walking one with two strikeouts.

Outside of Fitzgerald’s productive return, Brooks ended up with a trio of his own hits, going 3-for-6 with an RBI. Meanwhile, Whalen also posted a two-hit night by going 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI.

Sacramento will try to continue the momentum in game two of the series tomorrow, an afternoon matinee that has a morning start time on the west coast of 10:05 a.m. (PT).