Ninth-inning rally feeds Rainiers' pennant fever

The Tacoma Rainiers’ wild 3-2 victory over Iowa Monday night featured a little bit of everything: An amazing diving catch by right fielder Mike Wilson; a surprisingly effective start by veteran pitcher Nate Robertson; squandered scoring opportunities and, finally, a come-from-behind, bottom-of-the ninth rally that brought the Rainiers out of the dugout and 3,891 fans to their feet.

“I like those games,” manager Daren Brown said, “where you score more than the other team.”

It wasn’t beautiful, but at the end of the night, the Rainiers had cut still another game of fast-falling Reno’s lead in the Pacific Coast League’s Pacific Northern Division.

After trailing the Aces by 111/2 games on July 29, the Rainiers are 41/2 back.

If they achieve the improbable and reach the playoffs, Monday’s comeback will be remembered as pivotal. Down to their final three outs in a 2-1 game, Wilson led off by coaxing a walk off Iowa closer John Gaub.

“Anything to get on,” Wilson said. “Late in the game, when you’ve a chance to win, you do what you can.”

Designated hitter Johan Limonta followed with a textbook sacrifice bunt just inside the third-base line that went for a single. Matt Tuiasosopo then put down another bunt, advancing the tying run to third and the winning run to second. An intentional walk to Ralph Henriquez loaded the bases, setting up a showdown between Gaub and Carlos Triunfel, recently promoted from the Double-A Jackson Generals.

Triunfel responded with a shot to third baseman Ryan Flaherty, who likely would have started an around-the-horn double play had he fielded the ball. But it glanced off his glove and into short left field, enabling Wilson and Limonta to score.

“We put down a good bunt, and they made some mistakes,” Brown said. “I’m a big believer in keep plugging away, because anything is possible.”

Before the ninth inning, the game was already made memorable by Wilson, whose sprawling catch in right-center robbed Bryan LaHair of an extra-base hit.

“It’s up there in the top five,” Wilson said, when asked to rank it on his list of all-time favorite catches. “I thought I had a shot to make a catch, and I just went for it.”

Thanks to Wilson’s catch, Robertson didn’t give up a hit until the top of the fifth, when Iowa scored its two runs. The left-hander, who began the night with a 7.19 ERA, turned in his most impressive performance of the season, a complete-game three hitter.

For eight innings, though, Robertson appeared he might be the victim of his teammates’ squandered scoring opportunities. The Rainiers got their swings in – they hit the ball with authority – only to watch rally threats wasted by close calls, clutch defensive plays and a pivotal base-running blunder.

It was committed in the bottom of the second inning, after Limonta led off with a single and Tuiasosopo hit a grounder to third that Flaherty turned into a two-base error. With runners on second and third and nobody out, Henriquez hit a bouncer to LaHair at first.

LaHair took time to make sure Limonta remained at third before stepping on the bag to retire Henriquez. Then LaHair noticed Tuiasosopo was late returning to second and fired off a throw. It easily beat Tuiasosopo for an odd 3-6 double play, and when Triunfel was retired on a grounder to short, the inning was over and a sense of frustration was in the air.

It would last until the ninth.

ON TAP

The Rainiers begin a four-game series against Omaha tonight at Cheney Stadium. Left-hander Anthony Vasquez (4-2, 3.11 ERA) will start for Tacoma against Storm Chasers right-hander Luis Mendoza (8-5, 2.26). Game time is 7:05.