Aces Power Past River Cats, Take Four of Six in Sacramento

Sacramento, Calif. – The Reno Aces (18–15) defeated the Sacramento River Cats (16–17), the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants, in a six-game series this past week at Sutter Health Park. The BLC-Nine took home four wins from Sacramento and have moved into third place in the Pacific Coast League.

The Aces entered Tuesday’s opener riding a four-game winning streak and extended it to five with a 7–3 victory, powered by Cristian Mena and Trey Mancini. Mena was a threat on the mound, turning in his third quality start of the season after limiting the River Cats to three runs with two walks and eight punchouts in six frames. Mancini got it done on the other side of the ball, crushing a go-ahead grand slam off a Kai-Wei Teng sinker. Jordan Lawlar continued his masterful 2025 campaign, extending his hitting streak to 10 games in the opener, going 2-for-3 with his sixth home run of the year.

Reno’s bats stayed hot in Wednesday’s 16–6 blowout win. The Aces were quiet early but later exploded for 14 runs over the final three innings to secure a consecutive win over Sacramento. A.J. Vukovich was the main contributor on offense, driving in seven runs after a three-hit night highlighted by a go-ahead grand slam in the top of the seventh. Reno and Sacramento went back and forth until the eighth frame, when the Aces pulled away for good with a five-run eruption. Aramis Garcia sparked the rally, roping a leadoff solo shot into deep left field. Blaze Alexander played a crucial role in the late surge, coming through with two RBI knocks to extend the Aces’ lead. He also crushed his third big fly of the year earlier in the contest, a solo shot in the sixth.

The momentum carried over to Thursday’s 3–2 extra-inning nailbiter. Tied through nine, the Aces capitalized on a Sacramento error and a wild pitch in the 10th, allowing Cristian Pache to score the go-ahead run. Kyle Amendt and the Aces bullpen were the heroes in the win, holding the River Cats scoreless through five combined innings. Amendt earned his first save of the year after a clean 10th inning, striking out one without issuing a walk. Yu-Min Lin sparkled in his season debut, limiting the River Cats to two runs across five sharp innings. Garcia continued to mash, belting two home runs off Carson Whisenhunt, including a game-tying shot in the seventh.

The Aces extended their winning streak to seven games after Thursday’s victory, but it came to an end in Friday’s 3–2 loss.

Saturday’s 5–1 victory sealed the series win for Reno. It was an unexpected bullpen day after Tommy Henry was scratched late, but the ‘pen held it down, allowing the River Cats to score one unearned run while striking out 12 without issuing a walk. Vukovich headlined the scoring, smashing his seventh home run off then–PCL ERA leader Carson Seymour. Jorge Barrosa made an impact in his return to the lineup after a five-game stint in the big leagues, putting the Aces on the board with a two-RBI double in the fourth frame.

Vukovich enjoyed an excellent series, driving in a team-leading nine RBIs and racking up 16 total bases, including three home runs. The 23-year-old is on a tear, hitting .385 (15-for-39) with six home runs and 18 RBIs over his last 10 games.

Jake McCarthy also shined, going 12-for-27 (.444) with two doubles, a triple, and seven runs scored in the series. Since joining the Aces on April 23, he’s been on fire, slashing .435/.509/.652 with eight extra-base hits and three stolen bases in 11 games.

On the mound, Kyle Amendt was dominant across three appearances, throwing four scoreless innings with just one hit, one walk, and six strikeouts. The flame-throwing right-hander remains perfect this season, having yet to allow an earned run through 15 2/3 innings, with 19 strikeouts and five walks.

Reno’s pitching staff as a whole was dominant throughout the series, holding Sacramento to a .168/.245/.305 slash line while surrendering just six home runs and 18 earned runs. The Aces posted a 2.65 ERA with 68 strikeouts and 18 walks across 54 1/3 innings, marking their best series performance on the mound this season.

The Aces now return to Greater Nevada Field to host the Las Vegas Aviators, the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. The six-game series kicks off Tuesday, April 6, with first pitch scheduled for 11:05 a.m. PST.

Single-game tickets are on sale at RenoAces.com, the Greater Nevada Field Ticket Office, or by texting “TIXX” to 21003. Season Memberships are available via RenoAces.com, texting “MEMBER” to 21003, or calling (775) 334-7000.

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