River Cats open 20th season in style with dramatic walk-off win

Beautiful Opening Night at Raley Field capped off by extra-inning victory

Sacramento players celebrate a walk-off win against Tacoma on opening night. The game, an 11 inning afffair was won by Sacramento 5-4. Ralph Thompson/ River Cats (Ralph Thompson)

April 5, 2019

West Sacramento, Calif. - The Sacramento River Cats (1-0) began their 20th season in Sacramento by defeating the Tacoma Rainiers (0-1) 5-4 in the 11th inning on a thrilling walk-off double from second baseman Breyvic Valera.The River Cats were kept quiet early on by a strong start from Rainier's righty

West Sacramento, Calif. - The Sacramento River Cats (1-0) began their 20th season in Sacramento by defeating the Tacoma Rainiers (0-1) 5-4 in the 11th inning on a thrilling walk-off double from second baseman Breyvic Valera.
The River Cats were kept quiet early on by a strong start from Rainier's righty Erik Swanson. The Rainiers jumped out to an early two run lead in the top of the 4th inning before the River Cats responded with a run in the bottom of the 6th. The Rainiers would push their lead back to two in the top of the 8th before Sacramento would start their comeback bid.
The River Cats plated two runs in the bottom of the 9th when Mike Yastrzemski smacked a clutch double to knot things up at three and send the game to extra frames. The River Cats sent fans home happy two innings later on a walk-off double from Breyvic Valera bringing home Aramis Garcia for the electric Opening Night win.
The River Cats will continue their five-game stand against Tacoma Friday night with right-hander Tyler Beede making his 2019 debut on the mound for Sacramento. The Rainiers will go with left-hander Tommy Milone. 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, and on the air on Money 105.FM.
Additional Notes
• Switch-pitching Pat Venditte went 1.2 innings with three strikeouts in his River Cats debut.
• Henry Ramos went 3-5 with a double and RBI to lead the River Cat offense.
• This is the first time in River Cats history that the home opener has gone into extra innings.
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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. 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.