EL PASO, TEXAS. – Following Monday night’s nail-biting, series-opening 2-1 victory, the Reno Aces doubled up the El Paso Chihuahuas once more, hanging on for a 4-2 win Tuesday afternoon at Southwest University Park.
Like Caleb Clay in the series opener, Vidal Nuño delivered another terrific performance on the mound. Handed a 2-0 lead before he toed the rubber, the left-hander faced the minimum through three innings. The 27-year-old struck out the side in the third and had five strikeouts one time through the order.
For a red-hot Aces (4-2) offense leading the Pacific Coast League in batting average (.332) entering the day, it took just two batters to find success against El Paso (2-4) left-hander Jason Lane, a member of the Aces’ bullpen in 2012. Jamie Romak led off the game with a walk and scored moments later on Danny Dorn’s two-run rocket over the wall in right-center.
Up 2-0 through three innings, Nuño surrendered his first baserunner – and run - in the fourth. Abraham Almonte opened the frame with a free pass, and after Nuño rung up Ramiro Pena for his sixth and final punch-out, Tommy Medica singled off of Nuño’s hip into right, moving Almonte to third. Brett Wallace followed with a run-scoring double high off the wall in left, pulling the Chihuahuas within one.
The Aces pushed their lead back to two in the sixth, thanks to Nick Evans’ second home run of 2015, a deep solo blast to left-center.
Nuño (2-0, 2.19) returned to the mound for the seventh and worked his fifth 1-2-3 inning. He departed for Dan Runzler with one on and one out in the eighth, and the veteran reliever utilized four pitches to get two quick outs.
The clubs will play game three of the four-game series tonight at 5:35.
