PAPILLION, Neb. – Sacramento has thrived with its backs against the wall this postseason, and finds itself in a familiar spot heading home to close out the Pacific Coast League championship series.
After losing its fourth consecutive playoff game on the road, 15-4 on Wednesday night at Werner Park, the River Cats return home in need of three straight victories to secure their third PCL title in five years.
Ace Luis Mendoza pitched his team to victory in Tuesday's opener, but it was the Omaha offense that pulled out the lumber and battered River Cats hurlers to the tune of 15 runs and 18 hits on Wednesday. Every Storm Chaser hit safely except for Kila Kaiaihue who struck out five times.
"You've got to be able to let go of any of them," River Cats manager Darren Bush said. "This one got a little lopsided towards the end. We have to take a shower, wash it off, get on the airplane tomorrow and head back to Sac ready to play.
"It's not really the way you want it to go, but that's the way it is so we need to go out there and win one baseball game at home." Tyson Ross continued his late-season slide by allowing seven runs (four earned) on nine hits in 2.2 innings.
The 6-6 right-hander has struggled in two postseason starts for the River Cats and his ERA stands at 8.31 after he failed to finish the third inning.
"It all comes down to fastball command and we really didn't control it," Sacramento pitching coach Scott Emerson said. "We didn't have good command from top to bottom all night. When you're pitching behind in counts and have to give hitters good pitches to hit, and they're good hitters, they're going to hit them." Omaha's offense hit around in the third and took control by scoring five runs and taking a 7-3 lead. Sacramento shortstop Tyler Ladendorf mishandled a soft ground ball from Irving Falu with two outs and two on, loading the bases for Manny Pina. Although Falu was given a hit on the play, it set in motion a string of lackluster defensive plays for the River Cats.
On the following play, Ladendorf and left-fielder Adrian Cardenas converged on a soft liner from Manny Pina but couldn't haul it in. Chris Carter fumbled a ground ball off the bat of Lance Zawadzki, which allowed Falu to score. Kurt Mertins and Jarrod Dyson followed with RBI singles and the Storm Chasers were on their way to a two-game lead in the series.
"The defense let us down today," third baseman Josh Donaldson said. "Tyson was actually making some good pitches. The defense has been there all year long and this was one of the times where it bit us. A bad hop here or bad hop there." Sacramento looked to be in good shape in the early-going, posting a three-spot in the top of the first against a familiar foe Vin Mazzaro. Chris Carter's sacrifice fly to the wall in center field plated Jermaine Mitchell and put the River Cats on the board. Carter's warning-track shot extended his playoff RBI streak to seven games.
Two batters later, Adrian Cardenas launched a line drive into a cross wind in right that cleared the wall by 10-feet. The two-run homer gave Sacramento a 3-0 first-inning lead.
Both teams have a travel day on Thursday before resuming the series Friday night at Raley Field. Sacramento right-hander Travis Banwart (9-9, 4.63) opposes Omaha lefty Mike Montgomery (5-11, 5.32).
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