Led by Archie Bradley who tossed six solid innings, the Reno Aces topped the El Paso Chihuahuas, 10-2, Monday afternoon at Aces Ballpark.
With the win, the Aces closed the 2015 season with a 70-74 record, good for third in the Pacific Northern Division.
Blake Lalli was on first base with two outs when Alvaro Rondon drew a walk to put a pair of runners on for Bradley. The hurler sent a base hit up the middle that was misplayed by El Paso’s center fielder Hunter Renfroe.
Lalli and Rondon came around to score and Bradley wound up at third on the single and two-base error. Nick Buss followed Bradley’s hit with a single of his own. It scored Bradley to give the Aces an early 3-0 lead.
El Paso put runners on in the early innings but Bradley managed to work out of multiple jams. After back-to-back singles to start the game, Bradley came back to record three consecutive strikeouts to end the inning.
He kept the Chihuahuas off the scoreboard until the sixth when they plated a pair of runs. Cody Decker led off the inning with a solo home run to deep left, his 21st of the season. Mike McCoy delivered a two-out, run-scoring base hit to cut the deficit to 3-2.
The Aces got an insurance run in the eighth to extend the lead to 4-2. Buss reached on an error to start the inning and promptly stole second base, his second theft of the game.
Mike Freeman delivered the run with a line drive up the middle. He finished the day 3-for-5, his 34th multi-hit game of the season.
Relievers RJ Hively and Seth Simmons combined to keep El Paso off the scoreboard in the seventh and eighth innings.
In the bottom of the eighth, the Aces plated six runs on seven hits. Run-scoring hits came from Rondon, Danny Worth, Freeman and Peter O’Brien.
Bradley earned the win, his first of the season with the Aces and Chris Smith was charged with the loss.
Sunday
El Paso 7, Reno 4
The El Paso Chihuahuas fought off a late comeback attempt and dropped the Reno Aces, 7-4, Sunday night at Aces Ballpark.
Trailing 4-2 into the bottom of the ninth inning, center fielder Todd Glaesmann lined a two-out, two-run double down the right field line to knot the game at 4-4.
The momentum was short-lived, however, as El Paso came right back with three runs in the top of the tenth. Reliever Kaleb Fleck committed a throwing error to put runners at first and second with nobody out, then Hunter Renfroe hit a ground-rule double to give the Chihuahuas a 5-4 lead. Ramiro Pena followed with a two-run single to up the lead to 7-4.
Tayron Guerrero shut down any hopes of a second comeback when he faced the minimum in the bottom of the tenth.
Jeremy Hellickson started for the Aces on a Major League rehab assignment and worked a quick 1-2-3 top of the first inning.
Nick Buss started the home half of the first with a single to left field. He moved to second on a walk issued to Nick Evans, and both came around to score when Peter O’Brien belted a double off the center field wall to give the Aces a 2-0 lead.
The lead didn’t last long as El Paso came back with a run in the second, and a run in the third.
It stayed 4-2 until the bottom of the ninth when the Aces extended the game on Glaesmann’s two-run double.
Jay Jackson got the win for the Chihuahuas despite a blown save. Fleck was tagged with the loss and Guerrero earned his first save.
Saturday
El Paso 10, Reno 0
El Paso 4, Reno 2
The El Paso Chihuahuas swept the Reno Aces in a doubleheader Saturday night at Aces Ballpark.
The Chihuahuas cruised to a 10-0 win in game one with a pair of big innings and held of the Aces in game two to grab a 4-2 win.
In game one, El Paso scored four runs in the second, then added six runs in the top of the seventh.
Hunter Renfroe delivered the big blow in the second inning with a two-run double off of Aces starter Blayne Weller to make it 4-0. El Paso starter Robbie Erlin threw a five-hit, complete-game shutout.
Just like game one, El Paso started fast with a four-run top of the second inning in game two. Robert Kral got the scoring started with a run-scoring single deep off the center field wall. Aces starter RJ Hively then walked the pitcher to up the Chihuahuas’ lead to 2-0.
It got worse when Casey McElroy sent a double down the right field line to extend the lead to 4-0.
Jamie Romak led off the bottom of the fourth inning with a hustle double on a ground ball hit up the middle. He moved to third on a fly out and scored on Mike Freeman’s RBI groundout.
Relievers Justin Marks and Andrew Chafin kept the Chihuahuas off the board and gave the Aces a chance. Marks relieved Hively in the second and tossed 3 2/3 scoreless frames. Chafin pitched a 1-2-3 sixth.
Romak manufactured a run of his own when he belted a solo homer to lead off the bottom of the sixth. The blast was the 27th of the season for Romak and was RBI number 100. The 27 home runs ties the Aces’ single-season record set by Cody Ransom in 2011.
Kevin Munson tossed a scoreless seventh to keep the game at 4-2.
In the bottom of the seventh, El Paso left fielder Jake Goebbert took away extra bases from Ransom with a sliding catch, and reliever Jay Jackson retired Nick Buss and Todd Glaesmann to secure the win.