FRESNO, Calif. " Seth Etherton gave Reno six solid innings and was followed by a gutsy effort from the bullpen, as the Aces evened the series with a 3-2 victory over the Fresno Grizzlies Sunday afternoon at Chukchansi Park.
Reno trailed by a run early, but hopped on the scoreboard to tie the score in the fourth thanks to a run-scoring single off the bat of Josh Whitesell. Two innings later, the Aces would take their first lead of the game, using a two-run double by Ruben Gotay to push the score to 3-1. Fresno clawed back with a run in the home half of the sixth, but from there the Reno bullpen took over and slammed the door..
Etherton (2-1) earned the victory, scattering two runs"one earned"on four hits. Etherton walked one and punched out two in a 92-pitch effort. Out of the Aces bullpen, Jose Marte (H, 1) picked up a hold after tossing two scoreless frames. Marte allowed three hits and a walk, while striking out one. In the ninth, Leo Rosales (S, 1) came on to deal a shutout ninth, securing his first save of the season.
For Fresno, Steve Hammond (1-2) was pinned with the loss. The southpaw surrendered three runs"two earned"on nine hits over six innings of work. The Grizzlies bullpen kept Reno quiet over the final three frames.
At the plate, Whitesell paced the Reno offense with three hits, a run scored and an RBI. Gotay collected two hits on the day, including the go-ahead two-run double in the sixth. In all, 7-of-9 Reno starters picked up at least one hit on the afternoon.
The Aces and Grizzlies will lock-up again on Monday night from Chukchansi Park. RHP Billy Buckner (0-0, 4.50 ERA) will make his first start of the 2009 season for Reno. Fresno is set to counter with RHP Billy Sadler (0-0, 4.09 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. PT and can be heard live on Fox Sports Radio 1450 AM.