Evans comes up Aces again with five RBIs

Like a good distributor in basketball, Nick Evans finds the importance in helping his teammates score and sharing the credit.

After driving in five runs on the heels of back-to-back four-RBI games and helping Triple-A Reno defeat Fresno on Saturday night, the D-backs farmhand was quick to dole out praise.

"Having guys like Tony Campana and Didi Gregorius hitting in front of me really helps, and Mike Jacobs behind me gives me good pitches to see," Evans said. "I'm just trying to have good at-bats."

Evans capped his five-RBI night by driving in the go-ahead runs in the Aces' third straight win. He's 7-for-12 with 13 RBIs in his last three games and climbed into second place in the Pacific Coast League with 35 RBIs, one behind Fresno's Adam Duvall.

Even when the Grizzlies retired him, Evans was driving in runs. He plated one with a ground ball in the first inning and another with a sacrifice fly in the fifth.

"You'll take an RBI, it's more important than a hit," the 28-year-old outfielder said. "Anytime you can bring someone on second or third home with a hit or a ground ball or a sac fly, it's a good thing."

Evans is thriving in his 12th professional season, ranking seventh in the PCL with a .354 average. And he's on pace to establish career highs in hits, doubles and RBIs.

"I think hitting is definitely contagious," the Arizona native said. "And like I said, when guys around you are getting hits and the pitchers are doing well, it's a lot easier to do well and get on base."

Duvall was able to stay atop the PCL RBI chart with a three-run homer in the eighth that lifted the Grizzlies into a 6-6 tie. But Evans answered in the bottom half when he singled home Trent Oeltjen and Gregorius.

Evans' second hit of the night made a winner of Will Harris (1-1), who gave up a run on two hits in the eighth. Matt Stites, Arizona's eighth-ranked prospect, pitched a hitless ninth for his first save since he was promoted from Double-A Mobile.