Aces put squeeze on Rainiers
MIKE CURTO
RENO – On the fourth day in Reno, the Tacoma Rainiers nearly won. But as usual, the Aces squeezed out a 10-inning win, 8-7, completing their second four-game sweep of Tacoma this season.
It was the 14th consecutive win for Reno over Tacoma, dating back to July 9, 2011.
Tacoma took a 7-6 lead in the top of the seventh inning, when Guillermo Quiroz drove a two-out, two-run double to the right-field corner. Quiroz was 4-for-4 in the game, driving in three runs.
Brian Sweeney pitched three shutout innings in relief of wild starter Forrest Snow, and he was poised to earn the win when Josh Kinney took over for him in the bottom of the eighth.
Kinney pitched a scoreless eighth, but in the ninth his error allowed Reno to tie the game.
With runners at the corners and nobody out, Jake Elmore bunted back to Kinney on a safety squeeze. Kinney fielded the ball quickly and had runner Mark Reed in a rundown, but he threw the ball past third baseman Vinnie Catricala, allowing the tying run to score.
Reno (31-25) resorted to a suicide squeeze to win it in the 10th.
Cole Gillespie and Mike Jacobs greeted reliever Scott Patterson with singles, putting runners at the corners with nobody out. Tacoma intentionally walked the bases loaded, and Patterson got the first out on a pop-up.
That brought Reed to the plate. On a 1-1 pitch, Reno manager Brett Butler called for the suicide squeeze. Gillespie broke for home on the pitch, and Reed bunted the ball in front of the plate. Patterson dived on the ball and tried to shovel it to catcher Ralph Henriquez, but Gillespie scored and Reno had its 8-7 win.
Tacoma (23-32) has lost four in a row, but the good news is the Rainiers have no more trips to Reno on the schedule this season. Tacoma will have eight shots at the Aces at home this summer.
SHORT HOPS
Tacoma lost left-handed reliever Sean Henn to Korea. Henn executed a June 1 opt-out clause in his contract to sign with the Hanwha Eagles of the Korean Baseball Organization. Henn appeared in 15 games for Tacoma, going 3-0 with a 3.64 ERA. … Jarrett Grube was activated from the disabled list, taking Henn’s roster spot.
ON TAP
The Rainiers return home to Cheney Stadium to host Manny Ramirez and the Sacramento River Cats in a four-game series. The first game is today at 7:05 p.m. Tacoma will start Erasmo Ramirez (2-1, 3.80 ERA) against Sacramento’s Brad Peacock (6-2, 4.91).
Mike Curto is the radio broadcaster for the Rainiers
