River Cats Take Second Straight
Clearly realizing that four runs per game may not cut it
for the entire series against the Tacoma Rainiers, the Sacramento River Cats
more than doubled their previous game’s output in the first five innings of
tonight’s contest, and they would need every run.
The first place team in the Pacific Coast League Pacific
South was able to fend off a late charge by the Rainiers to come out on top,
11-7, for their second straight win over Tacoma (45-51).
The River Cats pounded out 18 hits, including two doubles, one
triple and four home runs against Rainiers pitching, doing most of their damage early
against right-handed starter Steven Shell.
After scoring two runs in the top of the second off of
Shell, Sacramento tacked another three runs on in the top of the third and two
more in the top of the fourth on a two-run home run off the bat of Cliff
Pennington.
Rainiers right fielder Prentice Redman did the best he
could to muster some offense, leading off the bottom of the fourth with his
14th home run of the season on the first pitch he saw from lefty starter Dana
Eveland to make the score 7-1.
But over the next two innings, the River Cats piled on even
more, thanks to a towering drive from catcher Eric Munson which cleared the
trees across the road from the right field wall in the top of the fifth and an
RBI triple by Travis Buck with no outs in the top of the sixth–his first three-bagger
of the year.
After being shut down by Eveland
for seven innings, the Rainiers finally broke through to make things interesting
in the bottom of the eighth.
Second baseman Callix Crabbe led off the frame
with a line-drive single to center, and was followed by Jerry Owens, who laced
his third hit of the night for a single to left. The pair of speedsters then
came home thanks to a double by Matt Tuiasosopo and an RBI single from
designated hitter Jeff Clement. Eveland was then lifted for reliever Chris
Schroder, who fanned big Brad Nelson to bring Redman back to the dish.
Redman worked a 3-2 count from Schroder and then
annihilated the seventh pitch of the at-bat for his second home run of the
game, wrapping a moon shot around the left field foul pole to bring the score
to 9-6.
Left fielder Michael Saunders then tattooed the fourth
pitch he saw from Schroder over the foul pole in right to bring the Rainiers
to within two runs with just one out in the inning, marking the sixth time that
Tacoma has hit back-to-back homers this season.
But that was as close as the Rainiers were able to come, as
the River Cats (60-36) tacked on two insurance runs in the top of the ninth off
of closer Randy Messenger to polish off their fourth win in a row.
Notes: Jerry Owens went 4-for-5 tonight to continue his torrid hitting. Over the past 10 games, the Rainiers center fielder has gone 21-for-40 for a scorching .525 average … Callix Crabbe went 1-for-4 tonight, and is hitting a white-hot .351 over his last 10.
Rainiers Rants 