Albuquerque, NM. - The Reno Aces had everything clicking in Friday night's 9-7 victory over the Albuquerque Isotopes. Taylor Clarke got the start for Reno (18-24) in game two of the four-game series. The right-hander tied his season with nine strikeouts, the third time he has done so this season.
Albuquerque, NM. - The Reno Aces had everything clicking in Friday night's 9-7 victory over the Albuquerque Isotopes. Taylor Clarke got the start for Reno (18-24) in game two of the four-game series. The right-hander tied his season with nine strikeouts, the third time he has done so this season. Offensively, Evan Marzilli and Clarke set the tone, finishing a combined 5-for-5 with 3 runs scored and three RBI. A huge five-run fifth inning gave the Aces a 9-3 advantage, allowing them to hang on for the win.
Ildemaro Vargas wasted little time getting the Aces into the scoring column. Vargas took the fifth pitch of the ballgame over the left-center field wall for a lead-off home run. The last Aces lead-off home-run came on August 9, 2017 against the Las Vegas 51's, also by Vargas. Five Aces pitchers contributed in tonight's win, all of them walking away with at least one strikeout. As a unit, the Reno pitching staff combined for a franchise-best 18 strikeouts, led by Clarke (9), Joey Krehbiel (5) and Silvino Bracho (2). Bracho picked up his second save of the season and Clarke earned his fourth win. The Aces will take on Albuquerque again tomorrow night with Troy Scribner scheduled to get the start for manager Greg Gross. The first pitch is slated for 5:35 p.m. at Isotopes Park.
Top Performers - Reno
• Taylor Clarke (5.0 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 9 K, 2-for-2, RBI)
• Evan Marzilli (3-for-3, 2B, 2 R)
• Joey Krehbiel (2.0 IP, 1 BB, 5 K)
Top Performers - Albuquerque
• Mike Tauchman (4-for-5, 2 R, RBI)
• Tom Murphy (2-for-5, 2 R)
• Jordan Patterson (2-for-4, 1 R, 3 RBI)
Tomorrow's Matchup
Notes & Information
Lead-off Homers: Ildemaro Vargas blasted his second home run of the 2018 campaign tonight on just the fifth pitch of the ballgame. His lead-off home run was the first for the Aces this season and second of his Aces career. Vargas entered tonight's contest as the last Reno batter to hit a lead-off home run (August 9, 2017 @ Las Vegas). Before him, Nick "Chili" Buss hit a lead-off homer against the Tacoma Rainiers on August 9, 2015. Vargas has 31 career home runs and 18 since 2016.
Better Call Marz: Evan Marzilli has been on a tear since joining the Aces active roster on April 28th. The South Carolina grad has reached base in all 13 starts this season for the Aces. In 17 total games, Marzilli is batting .365 (19-for-52), with 4 2B, 3B, HR, 10 RBI and a stolen base.
Record Broken: With 18 total strikeouts tonight, the Reno Aces have set a new franchise record for most strikeouts in a game. Taylor Clarke (9), Joey Krehbiel (5), Stefan Crichton (1), Jake Barrett (1) and Silvino Bracho (2) recorded 18 of 27 outs tonight via the strikeout. The last time Reno recorded 17 strikeouts was on April 30th at Southwest University Park in El Paso, Texas.
