SOUTH JORDAN, Utah – After taking an early lead behind a pair of three-run innings, the Reno Aces used five more in the ninth to walk away the victors with an 11-6 decision over the Salt Lake Bees.
Two quick outs in the top of the first had things seeming business as usual, but a two-out walk to LuJames Groover kept the inning alive for the Aces (12-8/44-51) and Manuel Pena made the Bees (8-12/47-47) pay by ripping an RBI double to left field. One batter later and Fernandez put the cap on the inning with a two-run blast out to left center, his fourth homer of the season.
Reno doubled their lead in the top of the third, with Groover picking up the first RBI on his groundout to short. A Pena double and Gavin Conticello walk loaded the bases with two retired, allowing Danny Serretti to pick up a pair of RBI when he singled into center.
After cruising through the first two innings, starter Jose Cabrera was tagged for single tallies in the third and fourth frames, though only one of the runs was earned thanks to a fielding error in the third.
Cabrera would eventually leave after allowing seven hits over 4.2 innings, but not before he recorded nine of his 14 outs via the strikeout. That effort made Cabrera first Ace to reach that mark this season and the 13th PCL pitcher to do so this season.
Salt Lake rallied for four runs over the sixth and seventh innings, including a three spot in the seventh inning to equalize the score. A scoreless eighth gave way to the largest inning of the night when the Aces plated five runs to put the game on ice.
Reno totaled five hits, worked a walk, and benefitted from a passed ball in the frame to do all their damage. Two of their knocks went for extra bases, including their first hit of the inning when Anderdson Rojas doubled to center field and scored Kristian Robinson.
Groover followed with an RBI single, his only hit in the contest, while Fernandez later brought home Groover with a double to left field. Conticello singled into left and brought home Fernandez before later representing the game’s final run courtesy a Serretti single into center.
Gerardo Carrillo (7-3) continued to be lock solid in the month of July, as he posted his 11th consecutive scoreless appearance by working a run-free eighth inning with a walk and strikeout for his team-leading seventh win of the campaign.
Four different Aces had multi-hit games including a three-hit game from Fernandez, who was a triple shy of the cycle while also scoring twice and driving in three. Pena doubled twice in a 2-for-5 effort with two runs scored and an RBI, while Serretti also tallied three RBI while reaching in all five plate appearances by going 2-for-2 and drawing three walks.
Now even in this three-game set, both teams will have the chance to win the series in the finale on Sunday when they meet at 5:05 p.m. PT.