Gordon Beckham’s clutch two-run home run during the bottom of the seventh powered the Tacoma Rainiers to a 4-2 victory over the Reno Aces Friday night in front of a sellout crowd at Cheney Stadium.
Beckham (1x4, R, HR, 2 RBI), first baseman Daniel Vogelbach (2x4, R, HR, RBI) and catcher David Freitas (2x4, R) led the way for the Tacoma offense as the Rainiers improved to 35-11 when scoring four or more runs.
Tacoma starter Bryan Evans (1-0) tossed his first quality start of the season and earned his second victory in a row Friday night. Evans allowed just two runs across six innings and struck out six Aces hitters.
Designated hitter Kirk Nieuwenhuis knocked in his 24th RBI of the season during the bottom of the second by singling to center and scoring Freitas to make it 1-0 Rainiers.
Kristopher Negron answered with a two-run homer to give the lead to Reno in the fifth but Vogelbach launched a solo shot – his 12th – to knot the score at 2-2 in the sixth.
Beckham’s fifth home run of the season came during the bottom of the seventh and proved to be the difference as Tacoma snapped a three-game losing streak with a 4-2 victory.
Right handers Mike Morin (1.1), Ryan Cook (1.0) and Tyler Higgins (0.2) combined to shut out the Aces across the final three innings of action Friday night.
The Tacoma Rainiers fell to the Reno Aces by a final score of 14-8 Saturday night at Cheney Stadium despite managing 14 hits, eight walks and 21 total bases.
Designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach finished the night 1-for-2 with three runs, a home run, two RBI and four walks to lead the Rainiers offense. Right fielder Andrew Aplin (3x4, 3 RBI, BB), catcher David Freitas (2x4, 2B, 2 RBI, BB) and center fielder John Andreoli (2x5, 2 R) also had prolific nights at the plate for Tacoma during the loss.
Tacoma starter Ross Detwiler allowed five runs across 3.1 innings Saturday night while striking out four Reno hitters. He did not factor into the decision and threw 96 pitches, 54 of which were for strikes.
Relievers Ashton Goudeau (1.2), Darin Gilles (3.0) and Ryan Garton (1.0) combined to allow nine earned runs across 5.2 innings out of the Tacoma bullpen – the group combined for seven strikeouts. Goudeau (1-5) was saddled with the loss, his fifth of the year.
Another terrific start from Williams Perez and four clutch hits with runners in scoring position lifted the Tacoma Rainiers (43-40) to a 7-2 victory over the Reno Aces (38-45) Sunday afternoon at Cheney Stadium.
Perez (1-0) made his second start for Tacoma since being called up on June 26 and allowed just one run across five solid innings of work. Perez struck out six Reno batters, walked none, and threw 64 of his 91 pitches for strikes.
Tacoma shortstop Zach Vincej paced the Rainiers offense Sunday by going 1-for-3 with a home run, one run scored and three RBI. Second baseman Adam Law (2x4, 2 R, 2B), right fielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis (1x2, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB) and left fielder Ian Miller (1x4, 2B, 2 RBI) also had great days at the plate for Tacoma.
Rainiers relievers Mike Morin (1.1) and Daniel Schlereth (0.2) – who was making his Tacoma debut – combined to allow just one hit across two scoreless innings. 2018 Triple-A All-Star Shawn Armstrong (1.0) entered the game with the bases loaded in the eighth and struck out three Reno batters in a row.
Righty Tyler Higgins (1.0) has still yet to allow a run to score across 11.0 innings of relief in 2018 after tossing a scoreless ninth Sunday. He has stuck out 14 batters while walking just three during that stretch and is yet to give up a home run.
Tacoma and Reno return to action Monday night at 7:05 p.m. for game four of the current four-game series. Right-hander Casey Lawrence (6-3, 2.73) will get the start for the Rainiers and righty Neftali Feliz (1-3, 6.82) will be on the hill for the Aces.
All tickets, group outings, and suites packages for the 2018 season are available for purchase in person at the Cheney Stadium Box Office, online at TacomaRainiers.com, or over the phone at (253) 752-7707. The most up-to-date news and notes about the Rainiers throughout the season can be found by following the Rainiers on Twitter (@RainiersLand) or liking the team on Facebook.
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