Reno bats come alive, win 10-7 in series opener

RENO, Nev. – The Reno Aces moved to a franchise-best 17-8 tonight, topping the Sacramento River Cats 10-7 behind a balanced attack at the plate. Seven different Aces scored, including Daulton Varsho with two runs on four hits and two RBIs.

Sacramento struck first, putting two runs on the board behind three hits, a walk and a hit batsman in the first inning. As has become commonplace, the Aces would answer.

Matt Lipka would go on to tie the game in the second inning, driving the first pitch he saw into left field to score Beer and make it 2-2. The bomb came off the bat at 104 miles per hour, and landed 428 feet into left.

Reno would keep pouring in runs, scoring two more in the third after Lipka and Jamie Ritchie drove in Daulton Varsho and Drew Ellis, respectively. In the fourth, Varsho drove in Josh VanMeter with a single and would score along with Ellis on a two-out double from Seth Beer.

The Aces would enter the fifth up 7-3, after allowing a Sacramento run to score in the top half of the inning. Reno would answer, with Ritchie and Cintron opening the inning with back-to-back walks, with Ritchie scoring on a VanMeter double. Two batters later, Varsho would smack a double to score Cintron and make it 9-4.

Two runs in the top of the seventh would make it 9-6 Reno heading into the home half of the seventh.

Beer would come across to score in the bottom of the eighth after doubling, his second double and second run of the game making it 10-6.

Miguel Aguilar would enter the ninth inning to close it out, allowing one run to make it a 10-7 final.

The two teams will be back in action again tomorrow, with Corbin Martin starting on the mound for Reno. Martin enters 1-0 with a 4.20 ERA in three starts with Reno this season, coming in 15.0 innings of work.

Tickets for the 6:35 p.m. PT game are on sale at RenoAces.com or by texting TIXX to 21003. The game will be heard on KPLY 630 AM locally, or on RenoAces.com with Zack Bayrouty on the call.