Reno Bats Come Back to Earth in Loss to New Orleans

By Reno Aces

August 8, 2019

The Aces' bats finally said mercy losing to the New Orleans Baby Cakes by a score of 6-3 Thursday night. Prior to the game, Reno had scored 147 runs over their last 14 games, good for an average of 10.5 runs a contest over that span. The Baby Cakes led the entire game jumping ahead in the first inning on an Eddy Alvarez two-run homer. New Orleans would lead 4-0 before Reno would scratch across their first run in the sixth, a solo home run off the bat of Joshua Rojas. However, the home team would answer right back with a run in the bottom half of the inning to bring the score to 5-1 courtesy of a big fly from former Ace, Tyler Heineman. Andy Young would go yard in the seventh to cut the deficit to three and Domingo Leyba would single home a run in the eighth but it was enough for the Biggest Little City. Joe Gunkel picked up the win for New Orleans throwing 7.1 innings and allowing just three runs on seven hits during the outing. Riley Smith would earn the loss for the Aces allowing five runs over 5.2 innings of work. The rubber match will be played tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. PT with righty Jon Duplantier scheduled to start.

Top Performers - Reno

Josh Rojas (2-for-4, HR, 2B, 2 R)
Andy Young (1-for-4, HR)
Domingo Leyba (1-for-4, RBI)

Top Performers - New Orleans

Tyler Heineman (1-for-3, HR, 2 R)
Eddy Alvarez (2-for-4, HR, 2 RBI)
Joe Gunkel (W, 7.1 IP, 3 ER, 7 H, 3 K, 1 BB)

Tomorrow's Matchup

Notes & Information
Home Sweet College Home: Aces' starting pitcher Riley Smith didn't have his best stuff but threw a gutty 5.2 innings in the Louisiana heat Thursday night. He gave up five runs on 11 hits and struck out six. The sticky weather conditions of Louisiana shouldn't bother the righty, however. He was drafted out of Louisiana State University in the 24th round of the 2016 MLB draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks. He appeared in 12 games (one start), posting a 2-1 record and a 7.66 ERA in 22.1 innings with 11 walks and 11 strikeouts in one season with the Tigers. He earned wins against Florida and Notre Dame that season after spending the previous year at San Jacinto North College in 2015.
Old Friend: Former Reno catcher, Tyler Heineman, did some damage against his former team with a home run in the bottom of the sixth inning. Overall, he was 1-for-3 with two runs scored in the game. Heineman was traded to the Marlins' organization on June 4, 2019 from Arizona. In 25 games with the Aces, he hit .325 with three home runs, 13 RBIs, 16 runs scored and a .407 OBP. With New Orleans, he has seven home runs, 18 RBIs, and 19 runs scored to go with a .309 average in 35 games. The most home runs Heineman has hit in a single-season was 13 in 2013 for the Lancaster JetHawks.
Glad to have you Back: Fan favorite, right-hander Joey Krehbiel, was designated for assignment on July 31. However, he cleared waivers and was outrighted to Reno on August 3. Thursday night was Krehbiel's first appearance back. He threw a scoreless eighth inning and struck out two in the process.