Surging Rainiers finish 9-3 road trip with 8-7 win at Reno on Tuesday

Reno, NV (8/10/21) – The Tacoma Rainiers (48-36) closed their road trip at 9-3 and took five of six from the first place Reno Aces (49-35), pulling within one game of the Aces in the West Division standings. That deficit was six games when the trip began on July 29, and five games when the series began in Reno on August 5. Tuesday night’s 8-7 victory was a back and forth affair, typical of the majority of games over the last week.

Seth Beer (3-for-5) opened the scoring for Reno with a solo homer in the first inning. In the visiting third, Reno starter Riley Smith, recently optioned by Arizona, balked in a run with the bases loaded. Wyatt Mathisen trotted home after a leadoff walk.

Jose Godoy broke the tie with his third homer of the series in the fourth. The two-run line drive to right field came after a Jose Marmolejos leadoff single, and the score was 3-1 Tacoma. The Aces re-tied it in the home fourth however; Beer led off with a double, and scored on a Henry Ramos double. Ramos then scored on a Jake McCarthy (3-for-5) triple.

Tacoma regained the lead in the sixth inning when Jack Reinheimer – extending his hit streak to 10 games – doubled home Jantzen Witte after a one-out walk. Donovan Walton (3-for4) immediately followed with a double to plate Reinheimer, and the Rainiers led 5-3.

In what was hardly the first see-saw game during this six-game series, McCarthy put the Aces back in front with a three-run homer in the sixth.

Trailing 6-5 in the seventh, the pendulum swung back Tacoma’s way, as Brian O’Keefe (3-for-5) led off with a double and scored on Godoy’s third RBI of the night to tie the game a second time. But in the bottom of the seventh, McCarthy drove in his fifth run of the game, on a bases-loaded infield single. The Rainiers escaped further damage, but Reno re-took the lead 7-6. Moments later in the eighth, it was tied again when Walton slammed a solo shot off the right field foul pole. An inning later, an O’Keefe solo shot to center put Tacoma in front once again, 8-7.

In the tightest of save situations, Jimmy Yacobonis worked around a leadoff walk and saved it for Tacoma, with a game-ending double play.

The Rainiers will next be in action on Thursday following Wednesday’s off day, opening a six-game homestand against the Las Vegas Aviators (Oakland Athletics). RHP Ryan Weber is Tacoma’s scheduled starter, opposite Major League veteran RHP Homer Bailey for Vegas. First pitch will be 7:05 PT.

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.