Stingy staff stifles Sacramento

Tacoma, WA (7/23/21) – The Tacoma Rainiers (36-31) earned their second shutout win of 2021 in front of a boisterous Friday night crowd at Cheney Stadium, blanking the Sacramento River Cats (28-39) by a 4-0 final. The Tacoma pitching staff limited Sacramento to only three hits, and struck out 10 River Cats without issuing a walk.

In a bullpen affair for the Rainiers, Vinny Nittoli’s only blemish was a hit batter (2 K) in the opening two innings. Lefty David Huff followed with three scoreless frames of his own (3 K), facing the minimum thanks to a caught stealing and a double play that erased a pair of singles.

Tacoma opened the scoring in the fourth, when Jose Godoy reached second on a two-base error in centerfield, after Giants top prospect Heliot Ramos dropped a fly ball. Sam Travis made Sacramento pay a batter later, ripping an RBI double down the left field line into the corner.

Still leading 1-0 in the eighth, Taylor Trammell led off with a walk and a stolen base. He scored on Jantzen Witte’s RBI single, Godoy singled, and a Travis gapper scored two more for a 4-0 Rainiers advantage. Travis ended up with a pair of doubles and three RBI for the night. Witte extended his season-high hit streak to nine games.

It all added up to more than enough for the cavalcade of Tacoma arms, as Jimmy Yacobonis (1 K), Taylor Guerrieri, Brian Schlitter (2 K) and Wyatt Mills (2 K) each tossed a scoreless inning to end the game.

Friday was the seventh time this season the Rainiers did not issue a walk, and their 218 free passes this season are the fewest in Triple-A West (3.25 BB/game).

Tacoma will be in action next on Saturday, a 7:05 p.m. first pitch at Cheney Stadium. RHP Robert Dugger is the scheduled starter for the home side against the River Cats.

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.