Trio of Multi-Run Innings Just Enough for Kitties on Wednesday

LAS VEGAS – The Sacramento River Cats used three multi-run innings to snatch a victory on Wednesday, kicking things off with a pair of two-run homers while a four-run eighth sealed the deal in a 9-5 win over the Las Vegas Aviators.

To snap a streak of five straight retired, the River Cats (1-1/45-32) put a pair of runs on the board in the second with a couple of two-out hits. The first came from Blake Sabol on a ball that squeezed its way through the right side, while Logan Porter picked an ideal time to hit his first Sacramento homer, blasting the first pitch he saw over the wall in right field for the early edge.

Later in the fifth, the River Cats got a rally going thanks to the first hit on the current rehab assignment from LaMonte Wade Jr. and struck in the next at-bat with another two-run homer, this time courtesy of Tyler Fitzgerald. His eighth of the year went to straightaway center, crushing his eighth of the year on a 2-0 offering from Aviators (1-1/38-39) J.T. Ginn (0-3). One more run came across in the frame when Casey Schmitt singled and later scored on a Blake Sabol double.

While the offense was working, so was the pitching as Sacramento starter Carson Seymour (3-6) struck out the side in the first and retired each of the first seven he faced. After taking a scoreless outing through the fifth, Seymour ran into a bit of trouble in the sixth when he allowed a leadoff single combined with an error that resulted in an RBI single from Seth Brown.

Though Seymour exited, Las Vegas kept the momentum rolling by plating two more in the seventh, using three consecutive two-out hits against Clay Helvey before a fielding error allowed two runs to score.

With the lead trimmed to 5-3, the River Cats fired the offense back up and pushed across four runs in the top of the eighth, which included yet another two-run homer as Grant McCray snapped a 0-for-16 hitless streak with a blast that also scored Porter. Hits continued including one from Jakson Reetz and a double from Brett Auerbach, while a two-bagger from Hunter Bishop plated a pair and completed the scoring.

Continuing to fight, three straight hits with the last a two-run double in the eighth trimmed the Las Vegas deficit back to 9-5, but Justin Garza locked in to stop any Las Vegas comeback in the bottom of the ninth to hold that final. The effort preserved a win for Seymour, his third as he finished with no earned runs allowed (one total) in 5.1 innings with four strikeouts. It was the fourth time he has not allowed an earned run in a game this year.

All but one River Cat earned a hit in the contest, which included multi-hit games from Sabol and Porter, with the former going 2-for-4 and scoring once with an RBI while the latter was 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored and his dinger. Wade Jr. went 1-for-3 with a single and run scored prior to exiting on his rehab and was replaced by Auerbach who was 1-for-2 with a run scored and a double.

Now even at one game each in the series, the River Cats will look to gain the advantage in game three tomorrow from Las Vegas Ballpark at 7:05 p.m. (PT).