Aces Win Four Straight to Seal Series Victory Over Albuquerque

RENO, Nev. – The Reno Aces (14-13) took down the Albuquerque Isotopes (11-16), the Triple-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, winning four of six games this past week at Greater Nevada Field. The Isotopes opened the series with back-to-back wins, but the Aces stormed back with four straight victories to send Albuquerque home with a series loss.

Thursday’s tight 8-7 win featured a late comeback led by Reno’s veteran first baseman, Trey Mancini. Down by one run in the bottom of the eighth inning, Jake McCarthy and Jordan Lawlar both reached base and successfully executed a double steal, putting themselves in scoring position for Mancini. The 33-year-old came through, poking a single into right field to score McCarthy and Lawlar and give the Aces the lead. Reno finished the game in dramatic fashion. Scott McGough found himself in a bases-loaded jam in the ninth but escaped without surrendering a run thanks to a clutch defensive play by Ildemaro Vargas at third base.

A.J. Vukovich was a human highlight reel in Friday’s 17-11 slugfest. The 23-year-old turned in one of the season's best performances, going 5-for-6 with two home runs and six RBI. He hit his fourth home run of the season in the fifth inning and later crushed a 431-foot blast off the scoreboard in left field in the seventh. Friday’s win also featured a historic night from Ildemaro Vargas, who became the Aces' franchise leader in RBI after driving in two runs, surpassing Mike Jacobs’ previous mark of 222.

The offense kept swinging in Saturday’s 11-1 blowout. Blaze Alexander led the charge, mashing two home runs. Alexander launched a no-doubt shot over the left-field porch in the third inning and then added a solo shot to right field in the seventh. Jake McCarthy also got in on the action, collecting two doubles, including a two-run knock in the second to open the scoring. It was arguably Reno’s best pitching performance of the series as the team opted for a bullpen day. César Gómez made his Aces debut and was brilliant, tossing two scoreless innings with one walk and two strikeouts. The bullpen took it from there, combining for seven clean frames to shut down Albuquerque and secure Reno’s third straight win.

The BLC-Nine closed out a two-week homestand with another commanding win in Sunday’s series finale, defeating the Isotopes 8-2. Tommy Henry was dominant on the mound, delivering his strongest outing of the year as the southpaw limited Albuquerque to two runs across six innings while striking out six. Though the offense was quiet early, recording just one hit through the first six innings, it erupted in the seventh, scoring six runs. Connor Kaiser sparked the rally with a two-run single to right, and Lawlar kept the momentum alive by smoking a two-run double into right to solidify Reno’s fourth consecutive victory and the series win.

The bats enjoyed an excellent series, collectively slashing .309/.420/.488 with 25 extra-base hits, 46 RBI, and 36 walks. Vukovich led the bats, going 10-for-22 (.455) with three home runs and nine RBI. McCarthy made his presence felt in the leadoff role, going 8-for-19 (.421) with five extra-base hits and two stolen bases in his first five games with the Aces this season. The outfielder looks poised to continue raking atop the order as he works his way back to the big leagues.

Lawlar was a force at the plate throughout the series, recording four multi-hit games while slashing .476/.560/.714 with three doubles, one triple, six RBI, and four stolen bases. The top prospect has been one of—if not the—best players in the Pacific Coast League, leading the league in OPS (1.095), hits (37), total bases (67), and runs scored (29).

After a two-week homestand, the Aces will now hit the road to Sacramento to take on the River Cats, the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. The six-game series is scheduled to kick off on Tuesday, April 29, with first pitch set for 12:05 p.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.

-ACES-