Rainiers drop third straight, split series with Las Vegas
Tacoma, WA (8/17/21) – The Las Vegas Aviators (46-44) downed the Tacoma Rainiers (51-39) 8-4 at Cheney Stadium on Tuesday. Vegas’s early offense and collective performance on the mound proved too much for Tacoma, splitting the series 3-3. The Aviators got the scoring started in the third. After back-to-back singles
Tacoma, WA (8/17/21) – The Las Vegas Aviators (46-44) downed the Tacoma Rainiers (51-39) 8-4 at Cheney Stadium on Tuesday. Vegas’s early offense and collective performance on the mound proved too much for Tacoma, splitting the series 3-3.
The Aviators got the scoring started in the third. After back-to-back singles from Pete Kozma and Buddy Reed to begin the inning, Nate Mondou joined the hit parade with a single of his own to score Kozma. Chad Pinder (MLB Rehab) added a sac fly the next at-bat, bringing home Reed and doubling the Vegas lead. Sam Travis answered with a solo shot to put the Rainiers on the board in the bottom of the frame, cutting the lead to 2-1.
The Las Vegas offensive continued to pile on in the fourth. Francisco Pena got things started with a bang, blasting his 18th home run to lead off the inning. The Aviators added on two more runs thanks to a Reed RBI single and a Mondou sac fly, staking Vegas to a four-run advantage.
Tacoma struck back in the bottom of the fifth. After working the bases loaded, Jantzen Witte reached on an error, scoring Jose Godoy (error) and Marcus Wilson (walk) to close the gap to 5-3. Skye Bolt tacked on an insurance run for the Aviators in the eighth, giving Vegas a 6-3 advantage.
The Aviators added two more runs in the ninth on a Pinder two-run single, putting the game out of reach. In the bottom of the inning, Travis launched his second homer for the evening’s final run.
Tacoma’s bullpen of Penn Murfee, Vinny Nittoli, Matt Festa, Nick Duron and Aaron Fletcher combined for five innings of three-run ball, surrendering three hits and a walk while striking out eight. Festa was especially dominant, striking out the side in his only inning of work. Las Vegas had a bullpen day, and the pitching staff turned in a quality effort. Argenis Angulo opened the game for the Aviators, throwing 2.2 innings, giving up a run on three hits and a walk, striking out five along the way. The four relievers to follow pitched 6.1 innings, striking out six while conceding one earned run, three hits and four walks.
The Rainiers will resume play Thursday in Sacramento, beginning a series against the River Cats with a 7:05 PT first pitch. Tacoma will send RHP Ryan Weber (2-0, 0.52) to the hill as he looks to pick up his third-straight win. LHP Sammy Long (0-0, 0.00) will start for Sacramento.
Rainiers broadcaster Mike Curto will have full coverage on TacomaRainiers.com. All 2021 Rainiers games, home and away, can also be heard for free on the MiLB First Pitch app. HD video broadcasts of every home game can be viewed with an MiLB.TV subscription. (Use code: RAINIERS to save $10 on an annual subscription.
About the Tacoma Rainiers
The Tacoma Rainiers are the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. The Rainiers are a member of Triple-A West. Tacoma has been a Mariners affiliate since establishing the Rainiers moniker in 1995.
Single-game tickets for all remaining 2021 Rainiers home games are now available. Questions regarding season tickets can be directed to [email protected].
The most up-to-date news and notes about the Tacoma Rainiers and Cheney Stadium can be found at WeRTacoma.com, or by following the Rainiers on Twitter (@RainiersLand), Instagram (@tacomarainiers) and liking the team on Facebook.