Querecuto cracks Aces’ all-time triples leaderboard in 11-5 win 

SUMMERLIN, Nev. – Juniel Querecuto joined elite company by smacking his 13th career triple with the Reno Aces, helping the Biggest Little City’s team snap its five-game skid by downing the Las Vegas Aviators, 11-5, on Friday.

The veteran infielder cracked the top-10 in franchise history with his three-bagger, tying Christian Walker and Zach Borenstein for eighth all-time. Querecuto also extended his hitting streak to four games with the two-run triple in the opening frame.

For just the fourth time in his career, Cooper Hummel racked up a pair of doubles in Friday’s contest. The Aces’ utilityman finished the game 2-for-4 at the dish with a run and two RBIs.

Tyler Holton tossed his longest career outing in Triple-A, going three innings and allowing just one run on four hits to go with a trio of strikeouts.

Josh Green picked up his first win since Aug. 14 against El Paso after throwing two near-perfect innings of work out of the bullpen. The right-hander allowed just one walk and struck out a trio of Aviators en route to his win.

Ildemaro Vargas and Jake Hager also extended their base-knock streak to four games with singles in the first and sixth inning, respectively.

Alek Thomas crossed home plate on three occasions Las Vegas Ballpark, marking the third time in 2021 the D-Backs’ prospect has racked up a trio of runs in a contest.

Reno blew the game wide open in the first inning, scoring six runs in the opening frame, the most to start a contest this season. After Thomas reached on a double that was lost in the sky, Vargas slapped another lost-ball base knock to center and brought the Aces' outfielder across for a 1-0 lead. Drew Ellis returned to Reno in style, smacking his 14th home run with the team to deep left-center field on a 2-0 pitch to boost the Aces’ advantage to three, 3-0.

With only one out in the first, a two-bagger from Stuart Fairchild and a fielder error by Nick Allen put two runners on base. Querecuto drove in the pair on his bases-clearing triple and lifting Reno to a 5-0 edge. Blake Lalli’s club scored once more on Nick Heath’s sacrifice fly to take a 6-0 lead into the home half.

After a scoreless second inning, the Aces continued to put the pressure on with a one-run third frame. After doubles by Cooper Hummel and Jamie Ritchie to put runners on second and third with one out, Querecuto smacked an RBI single to left and bumped the Reno edge to seven, 7-0.

Las Vegas broke the Aces’ run-scoring streak with an RBI single off the bat of Mickey McDonald in the home half of the third to slash its deficit to six, 7-1.

Reno pushed its lead back to seven, 8-1, in the top of the fourth on Hummel’s second double of the contest, bringing Thomas around to score.

Following a blank fifth, Vargas extended the Aces’ edge to nine, 10-1, in the top of the sixth on a two-run shot to left field off of former Reno reliever Sam Moll.

Both teams were held off the board until the team from Summerlin put a four-spot on the board in the seventh. Nate Mondou hit a three-run homer after McDonald drove an RBI single to center to cut Aces’ lead in half, 10-5.

The Diamondbacks’ Triple-A affiliate tacked on one more run in the top of the ninth on Ritchie’s RBI single to right, bringing Ellis in from third and putting the Aces up by six, 11-5.

Taylor Clarke came on in the ninth and shut the door to snap Reno’s five-game losing streak.

The Aces will return to Las Vegas Ballpark for Saturday’s contest against the Aviators with first pitch slated for 7:05 p.m. PT. Saturday’s game can be heard on renoaces.com or locally on KPLY 630 AM with Zack Bayrouty on the call.