Redbirds Drop Homestand Finale, 3-1

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Andy Marte homered in the seventh inning to propel the visiting Reno Aces to a 3-1 victory over the Memphis Redbirds in the finale a four-game series on Monday night at AutoZone Park.

With the loss, Redbirds (34-37) dropped three of four to Reno over the four-game set and finished 5-7 on the 12-game homestand, previously splitting with Nashville and Tacoma.

Outfielder Stephen Piscotty (2-for-3, BB) extended his season-best hitting streak to nine games with his second multi-hit effort in a row.

Reno plated an unearned run in the third against Redbirds starter Boone Whiting, who was in his first game back with Memphis after being activated from the disabled list. Tyler Bortnick reached on a fielding error and later came around to score on a bases loaded walk. 

Memphis scored its lone run in the sixth to even the score as Greg Garcia (1-for-4) led off with a single, moved to third on a Piscotty bloop to shallow right field, and scored as pinch hitter Tommy Pham delivered an RBI double to left.

An. Marte went deep off Pedro Feliciano (1-2) in the seventh to put the Aces ahead for good. The club tacked on an insurance run in the eighth on an Alfredo Marte double.

Whiting allowed one hit and one unearned run over four innings. The right-hander also walked three and struck out two in his first start in nearly a month.

In his Triple-A debut and first career outing about Single-A, Reno righty Eric Brooks limited the Redbirds to one hits and one walk over four scoreless innings.

The Redbirds travel west for an eight-game Pacific Conference road trip through Salt Lake (Triple-A Angels) and Las Vegas (Triple-A Mets). Right-hander Zach Petrick (3-3, 4.77) will toe the rubber in Tuesday's 8:05 pm CT series opener against Salt Lake righty and former Cardinal Joel Pineiro (1-1, 9.00).

Baseball returns to AutoZone Park on Thursday, June 27 with a four-game series with the division-rival Round Rock Express (Triple-A Rangers).