Walton’s Sunday Slam Secures Sacramento Sweep

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – A grand slam from Donovan Walton was one of the top highlights in Sunday’s victory for the Sacramento River Cats, propelling them to an 8-3 win over the Albuquerque Isotopes for their first series sweep in exactly four years.

Three scoreless innings had come and gone, through River Cats (8-13/52-44) starter Mason Black had to work around a trio of hits and walks to keep the game level. It was in the bottom of the fourth that Sacramento broke the tie, turning a Trenton Brooks double into the game’s first run thanks to a sacrifice fly from Hunter Bishop.

The Isotopes (10-11/36-60) snatched that run back in the fifth and one more in the sixth, tying the game with an RBI groundout from Jimmy Herron before back-to-back doubles from Hunter Stoval and Trevor Boone put Albuquerque in front. For Boone, he has driven in at least one run in each of the three games this series.

However, those two tallies were no match for Sacramento as they essentially put the game away with a seven-spot in the home half of the sixth. Walks to Trenton Brooks and David Villar had two on for Bishop, who collected his second RBI with a base knock into center field.

A walk after a pitching change loaded the bases, leading Blake Sabol to drive in the go-ahead run with his own single into left center. That set up the highlight of the day from Donovan Walton, as he pulled a 1-0 offering down the right-field line just inside the foul pole for a grand slam.

That marked the second fifth grand slam of the Sacramento season, the first since Brett Auerbach hit one on June 30 at Las Vegas, the second of two grand slams in that series. The other came from Walton on June 28, as today’s slam was his second of the campaign, making him the 13th River Cat since 2005 to hit multiple grand slams in the same season. The last to do so was Jakson Reetz last season when he hit a pair against Albuquerque just days apart on June 28 and 30, 2023.

One final run came around to score in the frame, crossing the plate on a Brooks single into right. Though that was matched by an Isotopes tally in the top of the seventh when Kris Bryant started the inning with the second homer of his rehab assignment, that was as close as Albuquerque could come. Following that homer Bryant would single in his final trip to the plate, cementing a 5-for-5 day from the dish. Including his final at-bat last night, he had logged hits in six consecutive at-bats.

Black eventually exited the game after 4.2 frames while allowing an unearned run on four hits, issuing three walks but striking out a season-high eight hitters. In next was Clay Helvey (5-4), and though he allowed a pair of runs on three hits, he also struck out three as he captured his fifth win of the campaign. Following was a pair of scoreless appearances, first from Evan Gates as he lasted 1.1 innings while Kolton Ingram closed the day with 0.2 innings of work.

All of that combined to clinch Sacramento’s first series sweep in exactly five years, as their last sweep was also a three-game set that occurred from July 19-21, 2019 on the road against Tacoma. Sacramento had played a total of 105 series since their last sweep.

Leading the way in hits was Brooks by going 3-for-3, scoring twice while also driving one in. Just behind was Sabol who was 2-for-4, and while Bishop had a pair of RBI, it was Walton that was responsible for half of the day’s runs thanks to his grand slam.

Winners of three in a row, the River Cats will now attempt to make it four when they arrive in Texas to begin a series against the Sugar Land Space Cowboys on Tuesday, June 23 at 5:05 p.m. (PT).