RENO, Nev. – The Reno Aces kept their momentum rolling in game three of their series with the El Paso Chihuahuas on Thursday, using a five-run fourth to take control while pitching mostly stifled opposing bats resulting in a 6-4 Reno victory.
On the very first pitch of the night there was history made for the Aces (20-16/52/59) as Tommy Henry (3-6) made the 69th start of his Aces career, moving him past Charles Brewer (68) for sole possession of the franchise record.
It was a bit of a tough start for Henry as for a third straight game it was the Chihuahuas (9-26/44-66) producing the game’s first run thanks to a single tally in the second inning, pushing home a run when Will Wagner grounded into a double play.
Another large inning proved to be the main catalyst for the Aces as tonight they scored five times in the fourth to take control of the contest. Two of the first three batters in the frame doubled, the first from Manuel Pena while Pavin Smith traded places two batters later.
Following a pop up, Christian Cerda drove home a pair by lining a single into center, but the inning saw the final runs scored on a two-run blast by Kristian Robinson. That was Robinson’s second homer in as many days, coming just one night after he hit the hardest Aces homer of the season and fifth hardest-hit ball in Greater Nevada Field history.
That blast also gives Robinson a total of 10 on the season, making him the first Ace to reach double-digit big flies this season.
El Paso started a comeback bid with a two-run homer just two batters into the top of the fifth, capitalizing on a leadoff walk. A single and stolen base had a runner in scoring position for Carlos Rodríguez, who helped the runner score effortlessly thanks to his triple to right field.
Before El Paso could equalize the contest, the Aces found a way to add an insurance in the home half of the fifth. That run came courtesy of Smith as he was the last in a trio of singles, earning an RBI by driving in Pena at the front of the line.
Henry checked out of the contest after the fifth inning left with a trio of strikeouts and two walks while allowing four runs on six hits. The night ended in victory for Henry, the 20th of his Aces career which made him just the fifth hurler in Reno history to reach that total.
Reno’s bullpen was ready to take the baton as they combined on the final three run-free frames to preserve Henry’s victory. Taking on much of that effort was Roman Angelo, as he tossed 1.2 innings and struck out four of the six batters he faced while yielding a single hit.
Robinson’s home run was his only hit of the night, while three others logged doubles including Pena and Smith who each totaled a pair of knocks. The only difference between Pena and Smith were the two runs scored by Pena to the one of Smith.
Tonight’s win was the third straight for Reno over El Paso, ensuring them at least a split of this six-game series. The Aces will look for the outright series win in game four of the series on Friday from Greater Nevada Field at 6:35 p.m. PT.