The Reno Aces fell in a wild offensive slugfest against the Sacramento River Cats, the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants, dropping the series finale 15-13 in 11 innings Sunday afternoon at Greater Nevada Field.
With the loss, the Aces were swept by the River Cats and extended their losing streak to seven games.
Sacramento held a 6-3 lead in the ninth before Seth Brown stepped to the plate with two outs and two runners aboard. The veteran first baseman crushed a game-tying, no-doubt home run over the right field porch to force extras.
Both teams plated a run in the 10th before the River Cats erupted for eight runs in the top of the 11th. What looked like a sure loss turned dramatic when Reno answered with six in the bottom half, but the comeback came up just short.
Brown finished the day with four hits and four RBI and has been scorching in two games with the Aces, going 6-for-10 (.600) with two home runs. Across 11 games this season with Reno and the Las Vegas Aviators, he’s torched PCL pitching, hitting .519 (27-for-52) with three doubles, nine home runs, and 18 RBI.
Jorge Barrosa extended baseball’s longest hitting streak of the season to 28 games with a 3-for-6 effort. The switch-hitter is now 47-for-121 (.388) with seven doubles, three home runs, and 24 RBI during the stretch.
Tim Tawa returned to the Aces lineup after a stint with the Arizona Diamondbacks and made an immediate impact, driving in Reno’s first run of the game with an RBI double down the left field line in the opening frame. He appeared in 59 games with the D-backs, hitting .200/.262/.355 with six doubles, six home runs, and 14 RBI in his first MLB stint.
AJ Vukovich kept the Aces alive in the 11th, blasting a grand slam to spark the late rally. The outfielder has been finding his rhythm at the plate, going 14-for-58 (.241) with seven extra-base hits—including four home runs—and 13 RBI over his last 15 games.
Reno will look to snap a seven-game losing streak on Tuesday when they open a seven-game homestand against the Tacoma Rainiers, the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.
The Reno Aces contributed to this report.
