PCL Tacoma Rainiers

Kelenic Fuels Comeback Hope with Two-Run Double, Rainiers Cannot Dig out of Early Hole

Published on July 2, 2021 under Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Tacoma Rainiers News Release


Jarred Kelenic at bat for the Tacoma Rainiers
Jarred Kelenic at bat for the Tacoma Rainiers
(Tacoma Rainiers, Credit: Jeff Halstead)

TACOMA, WA - The Rainiers scored five unanswered runs across three innings on Thursday night against the Aces, but it was not enough to counter Reno's early offensive onslaught as Tacoma fell, 8-5, in the first game at Cheney Stadium without capacity restrictions since Aug. 2019. Center fielder Jarred Kelenic notched a two-run double in the 5th and shortstop Jake Hager blasted his first homer in a Rainiers uniform.

Southpaw Ian McKinney (1-1) made his first home start with the Rainiers and surrendered eight earned runs across the first three innings. An RBI double and three-run home run for Reno (32-17) did the damage in the 1st as the Aces jumped out to a 4-0 advantage.

McKinney conceded pair of walks and a single in the 3rd, which set the stage for Reno shortstop Juniel Querecuto to extend Reno's lead to 8-0 with a grand slam. The lefty settled down after that point, retiring nine of the last ten batters he faced.

Tacoma (26-21) fought back in the 5th as second baseman Alen Hanson scored Jake Hager with an RBI single. Top prospect Jarred Kelenic followed that with a two-run double to bring the score to 8-3.

The Rainiers kept the momentum going in the 6th with a sacrifice fly from third baseman Wyatt Mathisen that brought around right fielder Dillon Thomas and narrowed the deficit to four.

Hager notched his first Rainiers home run with a blast to right leading off the bottom of the 7th, but the Rainiers could not scratch across any more runs as the score remained 8-5 for the final two innings.

The bullpen combination of Vinny Nittoli, Justin Grimm, and Brian Schlitter stymied the Reno offense and allowed just two Aces baserunners over the final three innings. The trio of righties struck out four on the night.

Starting pitcher Humberto Mejía (2-3) tossed six innings of five hit and four run baseball to earn his second win on the year. With their win, first place Reno widened the gap between them and Tacoma atop the West Division standings to five games.

The Rainiers and Aces will continue their six-game set Friday night at Cheney Stadium with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m. PT. Rainiers broadcaster Mike Curto will have full coverage on TacomaRainiers.com. All 2021 Rainiers games, home and away, can also be heard for free on the MiLB First Pitch app. HD video broadcasts of every home game can be viewed with an MiLB.TV subscription. (Use code: RAINIERS to save $10 on an annual subscription.)

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Images from this story

Jarred Kelenic at bat for the Tacoma Rainiers
Jarred Kelenic at bat for the Tacoma Rainiers
(Jeff Halstead)		   



Pacific Coast League Stories from July 2, 2021


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