Rainiers rack up 26 baserunners, brush aside Bees 13-8

Tacoma, WA (8/28/21) – A parade of runners took to the base paths on Saturday night at Cheney Stadium, as the Tacoma Rainiers (57-42) matched their high-water mark of 15 games over .500 by drawing a season-best 10 walks and pounding out 12 hits; Rainiers centerfielder Dillon Thomas was hit by a pitch three times. It all added up to a 13-8 defeat of the Salt Lake Bees (43-55) for a third consecutive game to open this series. Five Rainiers pitchers teamed to strikeout 14 Bees batters.

Tacoma batted around in the first inning, using 10 hitters to score five times. Jose Godoy, Sam Travis and Jack Reinheimer all had run-scoring singles. A Jose Marmolejos sac fly was his 70th RBI in 72 games with the Rainiers. Reinheimer extended his on-base streak to 20 games in his first at-bat, and has hit safely in seven straight.

Jake Gatewood got the Bees on the board in the second with an RBI double. Kevin Padlo (4-for-5) responded in the home half with his first home run for Tacoma, a solo shot to left field for a 6-1 advantage.

A Jose Rojas triple into the right field corner to lead off the third and a Michael Stefanic (3-for-5) RBI groundout pulled Salt Lake within five runs for a third time, 7-2. Tacoma’s lead was down to a single run after four innings, after the Bees batted nine times and scored four, paced by a Drew Butera RBI double and consecutive run-scoring singles from Stefanic and Preston Palmeiro. The Rainiers added a cushion in the home fifth on Padlo’s fourth hit and second RBI of the night, as his single scored Thomas who led off by being plunked. Padlo reached base five times total, on Tacoma’s 10th walk in the eighth (three runs scored).

Still leading 8-6 in the sixth, Donovan Walton lifted a sac fly to right field with the bases loaded. The lead was back to four in the seventh when Travis singled home Marmolejos (walk), his third RBI of the night.

In the eighth inning Walton blasted his 10th homer of 2021 after Thomas’s third HBP, and Marmolejos drove in his 71st run, a total that now leads the league, with a double to center scoring Padlo following his walk. At long last Saturday’s scoring plays were concluded on consecutive doubles in the Salt Lake ninth by Gavin Cecchini and Rojas (RBI), and then Rojas scored on a Stefanic single.

The Rainiers will next be in action on Sunday, a 1:35 p.m. PT first pitch against Salt Lake at Cheney Stadium. Lefties Thomas Pannone (Salt Lake) and Ian McKinney (Tacoma) are the scheduled starting pitchers.

Rainiers broadcaster Mike Curto will have full coverage on TacomaRainiers.com. All 2021 Rainiers games, home and away, can also be heard for free on the MiLB First Pitch app. HD video broadcasts of every home game can be viewed with an MiLB.TV subscription. (Use code: RAINIERS to save $10 on an annual subscription.

About the Tacoma Rainiers

The Tacoma Rainiers are the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. The Rainiers are a member of Triple-A West. Tacoma has been a Mariners affiliate since establishing the Rainiers moniker in 1995.

Single-game tickets for all remaining 2021 Rainiers home games are now available. Questions regarding season tickets can be directed to [email protected].

The most up-to-date news and notes about the Tacoma Rainiers and Cheney Stadium can be found at WeRTacoma.com, or by following the Rainiers on Twitter (@RainiersLand), Instagram (@tacomarainiers) and liking the team on Facebook.