Tiffee comes through in a pinch to lift 51s
Terry Tiffee’s pinch-hit sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth inning brought home the decisive run Sunday in the 51s’ 3-1 Pacific Coast League win over the Sacramento River Cats in West Sacramento, Calif.
Miguel Pinango limited the River Cats (4-6) to no runs on three hits and two walks in seven innings as Las Vegas (6-5) won its fourth straight. Pinango retired 15 of the final 16 batters he faced.
Gregorio Petit’s RBI single in the eighth off 51s reliever Mike Myers (1-0) tied the score at 1.
Las Vegas loaded the bases with no outs in the ninth on singles by Angel Chavez and A.J. Ellis and an error. Tiffee then hit a sacrifice fly, and the 51s tacked on another run on an errant pickoff throw.
Mike Koplove pitched the bottom of the ninth to earn his first save of the season.
The 51s scored the game’s first run with a two-out rally in the third inning. Rex Rundgren singled, Jason Repko walked, and Luis Maza hit an RBI single.
Repko, Maza, Chavez and Ellis each went 2-for-4 as Las Vegas outhit the Cats 9-4.
Repko, playing center field, threw out a runner at home who tried scoring from second base on a second-inning single. Repko also turned a flyout into a double play in the eighth.
Sacramento starter Dallas Braden gave up one run on four hits and two walks in six innings. He struck out five.
Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Nomar Garciaparra, in his second game with the 51s on a rehabilitation assignment, went 0-for-4 and hit into two double plays. He’s 0-for-7 with a walk in the two games.