Cristian Mena had everything working for him on the mound as he led the Reno Aces to a commanding 6-1 victory over the Tacoma Rainiers on Saturday at Greater Nevada Field.
Mena was dominant in the win, limiting the Rainiers to just one run on four hits and two walks over six strong innings, striking out five. The 22-year-old gave up a run in the first but quickly settled in, cruising to his first quality start of the season. After the masterful outing, Mena now owns a 0.84 ERA with nine strikeouts in his first two appearances of 2025.
Ildemaro Vargas had a significant day at the plate, putting Reno on the board with his first home run of the season in the first inning — a two-run shot over the right-centerfield porch. Notably, he made franchise history with the big fly, setting a new Aces franchise record with his 273rd career run scored. Vargas would later add an insurance run in the fifth, driving in Jordan Lawlar with an RBI single. The switch-hitter is off to a solid start with the Aces, slashing .296/.367/.444 with four RBI.
Kyle Backhus, Drey Jameson, and John Curtiss shut the door out of the bullpen, combining for three clean innings, striking out four while only allowing one base knock. Reno’s bullpen has been lights out to start the campaign, posting a 2.48 ERA in the first eight games.
Rene Pinto posted his first big day at the dish, going 2-4 with a two-run double in the bottom of the sixth.
The Aces will look to take the series from the Tacoma Rainiers, the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners, in Sunday’s series finale, with the first pitch scheduled for 1:05 p.m.
The Reno Aces contributed to this report.
