BaseBaLL River Cats silence the Salt Lake Bees

Enterprise staff

WEST SACRAMENTO and lead this group for a couple of games, it speaks to his character.”

— The Sacramento River Cats dropped consecutive three-run innings that overcame a one-run deficit against the Salt Lake Bees, then added a four-spot of insurance during the seventh to help take a game three victory by a final of 13-6 on Thursday.

After neither team could produce a base runner in the first, David Villar was the one to break the scoreless tie as his solo home run to center field to lead off the second frame and gave the River Cats (39-44) the early advantage.

However, the lead was short lived as the Bees (41-42) started the home half of the inning with consecutive hits, scoring one on a groundout then using a two-RBI double from Brett Phillips to pull in front, 3-1.

Sacramento countered with their own three-run inning during the fourth after neither team accomplished much in the third, pushing across the first run on an RBI groundout from Jakson Reetz. Following was an RBI double from Armando Alvarez, while the final run of the inning scored courtesy a Michael Gigliotti single into right.

Sacramento’s first matchup in Sin City is against the Atlanta Hawks today at Cox Pavillion.

— Henry Krueger is a Gonzaga University student and working as a correspondent for The Enterprise this spring and summer. He was an intern at the newspaper in 2022. Follow him on Twitter: @ henrykrveger.

Momentum swung back in favor of Salt Lake in the home half of the inning, as pair of walks resulted in damage to the River Cats when Jordyn Adams hit a two-bagger into left-center field for the Bees to pull back in front, 5-4.

Continuing the seesaw nature of the contest, Sacramento rallied for another three-run frame during the away half of the fifth for yet another lead change.

Singles from Ricardo Genoves and Bryce Johnson had two aboard with no outs for Heliot Ramos, who continued his hot stretch by doubling to center field to drive home both runs.

Ramos has played four games on his current rehab assignment and has produced a hit in all four while going 8-for-16 (.500) with four runs scored, three doubles, one triple, one homer and five RBI.

Following that two-bagger from Ramos, Villar later drove him in with a single down the left-field line to take a 7-5 edge. Trying to match, Salt Lake came within a run on a Livan Soto double into right that scored Daniel Murph, who had walked to lead off the frame.

Needing insurance while leading by just one, the River Cats totaled the biggest inning of the contest by scoring four times during their swings in the seventh. Two batters into the inning and the River Cats had tallied two runs, as a Bryce Johnson walk occurred just before Ramos crushed his third homer of the season over the wall in left center.

The River Cats will look to secure at least a series split today when these two teams take the field for game four, with first pitch scheduled for 5:35 p.m.