TACOMA, Wash.- Cesar Valdez earned his fifth-straight victory and the Reno bullpen held Tacoma silent Saturday night, as the Aces downed the Rainiers 2-1 at Cheney Stadium.
Valdez (6-4) allowed just a run over six innings of work before handing the ball over to the Aces relief corps. Leo Rosales, Doug Slaten and Bobby Korecky would go on to keep Tacoma off the scoreboard over the game's final three innings, locking down Reno's third-straight victory.
The Aces hopped on the scoreboard first, using a solo homer off the bat of Ruben Gotay to take a quick 1-0 lead. Reno would extend the advantage to 2-0 in the fifth when Alex Romero doubled home Trent Oeltjen. Tacoma pushed across a run in the home half of the fifth, but the Reno bullpen would take over from there.
Saturday's loss fell to Tacoma's Doug Fister (3-1), who surrendered two runs on five hits over five innings of work.
Gotay finished with two of Reno's seven hits on the evening and was the lone Ace with a multi-hit effort.
Reno looks for the series sweep on Sunday afternoon. RHP Tony Barnette (5-6, 6.47 ERA) gets the nod for Reno, while the Rainiers are set to turn to RHP Andy Baldwin (5-3, 4.54). First pitch is slated for 1:30 p.m. PT, and the action can be heard live on Fox Sports Radio 1450 AM.
After a road swing through Tacoma and Portland, the Aces return home for an action-packed four-game homestand at Aces Ballpark on June 27.
For tickets, stop by the Aces Ballpark Box Office, call (775) 334-7000 or visit www.RenoAces.com.
