Tacoma Drops Opener To New Orleans, 1-0

TACOMA, Wash. - The Tacoma Rainiers (17-11) fell to the New Orleans Baby Cakes (11-18) in extra innings, 1-0, in the series opener on Saturday night at Cheney Stadium.
Rainiers starting pitcher Nathan Bannister retired the first 14 Baby Cakes batters he faced in his Triple-A debut, ultimately working 6.2 innings of shutout ball with three hits and six strikeouts. Bannister was drafted in 2016 and missed his first professional season due to injury - tonight was just his sixth professional start, with the first five coming for Advanced-A Modesto earlier this season.

Both clubs went through nine innings without scoring a run on just eight combined hits. New Orleans ultimately broke through for the winning run in the first frame of extras on an RBI single from Peter Mooney.
Right fielder Boog Powell led the Rainiers offense after reaching base three times on a 1-for-2 night with a pair of walks. First baseman Daniel Vogelbach (0x3, 2 BB) and catcher Steven Baron (0x2, 2 BB) also reached base multiple times.
The Rainiers and Baby Cakes return to action as their series continues on Sunday afternoon - first pitch is scheduled for 1:35 p.m. PT. Tacoma has yet to name a starter, while New Orleans will hand the ball to left-hander Justin Nicolino (1-2, 3.58).
All tickets, group outings and suites packages for the 2017 season are available for purchase in person at the Cheney Stadium Box Office, online at www.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.