Tacoma wins 8-7 on Torrens’s torrential night (4-for-4, HR, BB, 3 RBI) 

Las Vegas, NV (9/14/22) – The Tacoma Rainiers (66-71) improved to 6-2 on this 12-game road trip Wednesday night, their 8-7 victory over the Las Vegas Aviators (67-70) making them 2-0 in this series on identical final scores. Tacoma now has a trio of one-run wins on the trip. In a potential march to finish .500, the Rainiers will have to go 9-4 in their remaining games.

Three walks and two singles in the second inning put Tacoma on top 2-0. Jarred Kelenic led off with a walk and scored on a Luis Torrens base hit. Derek Hill drew a walk with the bases loaded for a two-out RBI. The lead was cut in half in the home second when Las Vegas loaded the bases as well, Luis Barrera lifted a sac fly.

The game was tied in the third on Matt Davidson’s second solo shot in as many nights, his 27th homer. The Rainiers re-took the lead in the fourth however, when Torrens and Zach Green (RBI) led the frame with consecutive doubles. With Green still on second and two out, Hill smacked his second two-run homer of the series, an opposite field blast to right-center that traveled an estimated 434 feet and made the score 5-2. Hill and Green (two doubles) joined Torrens with multi-hit efforts.

It was 6-2 in the fifth after Kelenic led off with his club-leading 30th double (to center), later scoring on Torrens’s third hit (to left).

Rainiers right-hander Konner Wade checked in with a quality start, logging six complete innings. Both runs he allowed were earned, on eight hits and a walk. Wade’s seven strikeouts were a season-high; he had struck out six four times.

The third Vegas run came in the seventh; Mickey McDonald led off with a triple to right. He scored a batter later on a Jordan Diaz groundout. The Aviators evened the score 6-6 an inning later with a two-out, three-run homer to center off the bat of Diaz, his third with Las Vegas.

The second stint tied lasted as briefly as the first. In the top of the ninth, Kyle Lewis led off by blasting his 10th Triple-A homer of the season into the pool in right-center, putting Tacoma back in front 7-6. With two out Torrens yanked his fourth hit, a solo homer, to left field for what proved to be an all-important insurance run and the game-winner. It was the third RBI of the game for Torrens and his third home run since joining the Rainiers; the catcher turned second baseman reached base five times in the contest, adding a walk.

A three-hit home ninth inning saw the score tightened to 8-7 on a Dalton Kelly RBI knock. Lefty Nick Ramirez was able to strike out two however, including the final batter of the game with the potential tying run at third base, to secure his 13th save.

The midpoint of this weeklong series will be Thursday, a 7:05 PT first pitch at Las Vegas Ballpark. LHP Tommy Milone will start for Tacoma, opposite LHP Hogan Harris for the Aviators.

Rainiers broadcaster Mike Curto will have full coverage on TacomaRainiers.com. All 2022 Rainiers games, home and away, can also be heard for free on the MiLB First Pitch app. HD video broadcasts of every game can be viewed with a MiLB.TV subscription.

About the Tacoma Rainiers

The Tacoma Rainiers are the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. The Rainiers are a member of the Pacific Coast League and have been a Mariners affiliate since establishing the Rainiers moniker in 1995.

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.