ROUND ROCK, Texas – The Reno Aces put runners on base in each of the first five innings and had a runner in scoring position in the top of the eighth thanks to a double from LuJames Groover, but in the end failed to capitalize during a 5-0 defeat at the hands of the Round Rock Express on Thursday.
Groover’s double was the only extra-base hit in the contest for the Aces (17-13/49-56), and they failed to capitalize after a number of singles in all situations. Meanwhile, the Express (17-13/48-57) scored four times in the second to take a commanding lead, and later added an insurance tally in the seventh to bring the game to its final score.
Three of the seven hits in the game for Reno came from Arizona No. 1 prospect Demetrio Crisantes, his first three-hit effort at Triple-A. Meanwhile, three others logged singles including Kristian Robinson, A.J. Vukovich, and Pavin Smith.
Starter Jonatan Bernal (1-1) was charged the loss in a spot start, yielding four runs on three hits with three walks over three full frames. The duo of Antonio Menendez and Isaiah Campbell did toss scoreless relief appearances out of the bullpen, with Menendez going two innings and striking out three while Campbell worked a single frame with a punchout.
Tonight marked the fifth shutout loss of the season for the Aces, dropping their record to 4-5 in such games. The last shutout loss the Aces suffered was towards the beginning of the month when they took a 7-0 defeat in Tacoma on July 2. This was also just the sixth time Reno had been shut out at Dell Diamond, the first since a 6-0 loss to the Express on May 31, 2025.
Reno will look to level the series once again when these two teams meet for game four of the series on Friday at 4:45 p.m. PT from Dell Diamond.