Reno bested Round Rock in six-game set at Greater Nevada Field

RENO, Nev. – The Reno Aces remained undefeated this season with a 7-0-5 series record after taking four of six from the Round Rock Express.

With the team’s 11-10 win on July 26, the Aces set a franchise record and became the third team in Minor League Baseball this year to score 500 runs in 70 contests, joining the Tampa Tarpons and the Everett AquaSox. Blake Lalli’s club surpassed the 72-game mark set by the 2011 squad.

Jose Herrera, Ildemaro Vargas, Drew Ellis and Henry Ramos led the team with five RBIs apiece while Juniel Querecuto paced with seven hits against the Express. McCarthy and Ramos also scored five runs each to lead the offensive outpour.

Eight pitchers refused to surrender a run against Round Rock, allowing a combined six hits and four walks with 14 strikeouts in 15 innings of work.

After dropping just its third opening contest of the season, 8-4, Reno rattled off three straight wins, starting with a 5-3 victory on July 23. Jose Herrera cleared the bases his sixth career triple in the second inning to give the Aces a three-run advantage before back-to-back doubles from Ramos and McCarthy boosted the lead to 5-0, putting the game out of reach after three innings. Kevin McCanna tossed a near-perfect four innings, allowing just one hit and striking out three on 60 pitches.

On July 24, Aces’ Humberto Castellanos and Express’ Drew Anderson battled in a pitchers’ duel, combining to allow just seven hits through five frames. The Texas Rangers’ affiliate broke through in the sixth inning to take a 1-0 lead before the Aces’ bats woke up in the seventh and eighth.

Querecuto smacked an RBI single in the seventh inning to knot the game at one before Drew Ellis smacked a game-winning, RBI double to right-center in the following frame to take a 2-1 edge. Miguel Aguilar recorded his 10th save of July while registering his 15th save this year.

After unhealthy air quality postponed the July 25 contest, both clubs were eager to get back on the field and pulled out all the stops the following day. With the score deadlocked at two through five innings, Reno unloaded a five-spot in the bottom of the sixth on a two-run double by Nick Heath, an RBI triple from Ben DeLuzio, a wild pitch with the bases loaded and an RBI fielder’s choice. With a 7-2 score in favor of Reno, Round Rock responded with seven tallies in the proceeding inning and one more in the eighth to take a 10-7 lead.

The Aces refused to go down quietly, rattling off a leadoff double, a walk and a single to load the bases with one out. With runners on every base, Heath drove in a pair of runs to pull the Aces to within one, 10-9. Camden Duzenack charged towards the plate on a wild pitch to score the tying run, 10-10, in the following at-bat and a throwing error by Yohel Pozo moved Heath to third.

Heath was caught in a rundown down the third-base line when DeLuzio laced a grounder towards the first baseman, but the Aces’ batter reached second during the commotion to put a runner in scoring position with two outs. In the ensuing at-bat, Jake McCarthy drilled a 3-1 pitch up the middle and past the outstretched glove of the over-shifted Yonny Hernandez to register his first Triple-A walk-off hit, giving Reno an 11-10 victory.

Reno and Round Rock made up Sunday’s postponed contest with a pair of seven-inning games on July 27. The Express rolled to a 9-6 victory in game one before the Biggest Little City’s team returned the favor and swiped the finale, 10-6.

Vargas unloaded four doubles in Tuesday’s doubleheader, including a pair of RBI two-baggers in the squad’s win in game two. Ramos and Christian Lopes combined to evenly drive in the other eight runs with Lopes sending a three-run shot over the left-field wall in the sixth and putting the game well out of reach.

The Aces will return to action on Thursday, beginning a six-game series with the Sacramento River Cats. Thursday’s contest can be heard on renoaces.com or locally on KPLY 630 AM with Zack Bayrouty on the call.