'10 Grad Starting Pitcher for Sacramento River Cats Triple-A Baseball

The River Cats wasted no time pouncing on the Bees in Sunday's rout, putting a five spot on the board in the first inning. Leadoff hitter Kelby Tomlinson got the ball rolling, smacking a single to extend his hitting streak to a team-high 11 games and was later driven in by designated hitter Matt Duffy. Left fielder Chris Denorfia punctuated the inning with a bases clearing, three-RBI double.

Tomlinson once again was the catalyst in the second frame, hitting his second single of the night to go along with his two walks and two runs scored. Sacramento once again loaded the bases, this time setting the table for centerfielder Austin Slater who took full advantage, driving a three-run double to the centerfield wall to push the lead to 8-0.

Sacramento continued to pour it on Salt Lake, scoring four runs over the next two innings thanks to home runs from Denorfia and first baseman Travis Ishikawa, their first and fifth with the team respectively. Right fielder Jarrett Parker, who was making his first start with the River Cats since May 23rd, smashed a solo-shot of his own in the sixth inning to go along with his team-high five runs.

Slater, Denorfia and Ishikawa provided most of the sting tonight for the River Cats offense as the trio combined for 12 RBI. For the six-seven-eight hitters in the Sacramento lineup, eight of those dozen RBI came with two outs.

Not to be overshadowed was River Cats starter Dan Slania, who was making his first appearance at the Triple-A level. The right-hander looked plenty comfortable on the hill tonight, going seven strong innings allowing just one run on two hits and at one point retired eight-straight hitters. The 6'5", 275-pound Notre Dame product allowed one walk to go along with five strikeouts while throwing 100 pitches (65 strikes) in his Sacramento debut.

Slania fooled Bees hitters all night, as the converted closer induced 11 flyouts and held Salt Lake to 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position. Prior to Slania's win tonight, Sacramento starters making their Triple-A debuts had been 0-3 in four starts.

After losing four games in a row, Sacramento will look to win their second straight as they send right-hander Clayton Blackburn (5-7, 4.86) to the mound. Blackburn is 0-1 with a 7.30 ERA against Salt Lake this season. Opposing him will be Bees righty Zach Nuding (1-5, 6.88). First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. (PT) and can be heard live online at rivercats.com. http://tinyurl.com/he5nkbp