Bratt Solid for Five Frames, but Aviators Grab Game One

RENO, Nev. – A cold night and excellent pitching kept offense at bay for much of the contest, but despite five no-hit innings from Reno Aces starter Mitch Bratt, it was the Las Vegas Aviators that took home a 3-0 win on Tuesday.

Though he did not factor into the decision, Bratt turned in the best performance of his short Triple-A career thus far (three starts). He faced just three batters over the minimum thanks to a trio of walks, something Bratt does not do often.

The last time Bratt issued three free passes was 600 days ago when he also walked three in five innings as a member of the Frisco Rough Riders (Double-A). Bratt entered the night with a 6.29 strikeout-to-walk ratio, which was the second best in all levels of Minor League Baseball starting pitchers with at least 100 innings pitched.

Unfortunately, the Aces (9-7) offense could not get him a lead, as their first and only hit did not occur until Ryan Waldschmidt singled with a runner on and two outs in the fifth. Though it seemed the Aces were building a late rally, the inning came to an end right after with a groundout.

Charged with the loss for Reno was its first reliever, Brandyn Garcia, who allowed two Aviators (8-6) runs on two hits with a pair of punchouts in 1.2 innings.

Tonight’s hitless effort brought to an end the team-best eight-game hitting streak for Anderdson Rojas, as he was 0-for-1 with a pair of walks.

Game two of this series gets underway at Greater Nevada Field on Wednesday beginning at 6:05 p.m. PT.