Chafin wins again to give Aces Finals edge

Andrew Chafin was pitching in chilly temperatures on Friday night, but he refused to cool off.

"It was a bit nippy out. I didn't feel cold throughout the game, but after the third inning, I could see my breath," the D-backs prospect said. "It startled me, but I was able to stay warm out there."

Chafin allowed four hits over six scoreless innings, pitching Reno to a 2-1 win at Omaha and a 2-1 lead in the best-of-5 Pacific Coast League Championship Series.

"Today was a big win for the team. It was definitely a group effort today and it put the momentum our way," Chafin said after striking out four and walking one. "We just need to win one more now."

The fine start follows a four-hit shutout by the 24-year-old left-hander in the PCL semifinals. He attributed his 15-inning postseason scoreless streak partly to his comfort working with catcher Bobby Wilson.

"He knows me real well at this point," Chafin said. "He knows how I like to pitch, so I know I can just go out and throw what he tells me. He always does a great job for me. He did a phenomenal job tonight."

Chafin cruised until the fourth, when Matt Fields slugged a two-out double and Brett Hayes worked a walk.

"Once I went 2-0 on the guy I walked, I'm not saying I pitched around him, but I wasn't going to leave anything over the plate," he explained. "That opens up the [force] situation and, after that, I was able to regroup a little bit."

The Kent State product ended the inning by striking out Brett Eibner. And he never again allowed two runners to reach in the same inning.

Ninth-ranked D-backs prospect Nick Ahmed led off the sixth with a double and Roger Kieschnick followed with his first postseason homer to break a scoreless tie.

"That was a huge momentum swing for us," Chafin said. "Obviously, that was clutch in the game. We got things going our way then."

After working around Paulo Orlando's one-out single in the sixth, Chafin turned the ball over to the bullpen. Jess Todd and Kevin Munson combined for two scoreless innings, but D-backs No. 11 prospect Jake Barrett allowed a run on two hits in the ninth before recording his third postseason save.

Ahmed finished 2-for-3 with a walk, raising his average to .379 in seven playoff games.

Royals top pitching prospect Kyle Zimmer allowed a hit and struck out three over two innings of scoreless relief for Omaha.

Eibner drove in the lone run for the Storm Chasers, who host Game 4 on Saturday.