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PCL Albuquerque Isotopes

Montes Powers Albuquerque to Series-Opening Romp Over El Paso

June 7, 2022 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Albuquerque Isotopes News Release


Albuquerque, NM - Everything was clicking for the Albuquerque Isotopes on Tuesday. Second baseman Coco Montes continued his power surge by blasting two home runs as the home team raced out to an 8-0 lead over the first three innings, eventually securing a 10-4 victory over the El Paso Chihuahuas in the series opener at Isotopes Park.

The Topes wasted no time as they plated two runs in the bottom of the first against Chihuahuas starter Reiss Knehr. Dom Nuñez doubled with one out, then immediately scored on a single by Sean Bouchard. Carlos Pérez followed with a two-bagger before Bouchard came across on Wynton Bernard's RBI groundout.

Montes made it three consecutive games with a homer when he blasted a solo tater off the base of the scoreboard in the second, giving Albuquerque a 3-0 lead.

Knehr got into trouble in the home third by issuing consecutive walks to Ryan Vilade and Nuñez opening the frame. Bouchard then clobbered a triple to right-center, scoring both runners. After another free pass to Pérez, Knehr was pulled in favor of reliever Ryan Lillie. Bernard produced his second productive out of the game, a sacrifice fly which made it 6-0. Montes then connected on his second homer of the game, a two-run shot to left-center for an 8-0 advantage after just three frames.

El Paso found the scoreboard when Luis Liberato led off the fourth with a solo clout onto the right-field berm, then cut the deficit to 8-3 on run-scoring hits by Matt Batten and Brett Sullivan later in the frame.

Nuñez immediately got a run back for the Isotopes with a two-out solo homer in the fourth, his first long ball of the season.

In the sixth, LJ Hatch walked before Vilade singled. Nuñez then bounced a ground ball through the right side for his third hit, plating Hatch and pushing Albuquerque into double figures in the run column.

Isotopes starter Dillon Overton began his outing by firing three scoreless innings before El Paso touched him for three runs in the fourth, which was his final frame. He gave up a total of seven hits while walking a batter and fanning three.

Albuquerque's bullpen was very solid, allowing just one run on four hits over five innings. Left-hander Nick Kennedy earned his first Triple-A victory after blanking the Chihuahuas in the fifth.

Topes Scope: - The Isotopes earned only their second win in a series opener this season, improving to 2-8. It was their first Game 1 victory at home.

- Bouchard and Pérez each extended their on-base streaks in the first inning, Bouchard to 18 games and Pérez to a team season-best 21 contests.

- Vilade's walk in the third upped his own on-base streak to 19 games, although he is only hitting .250 during the stretch.

- The Topes reached double-digits in the run column for the 12th time in 2022, and ninth at home.

- Albuquerque has now scored 50 runs in the first inning this season. They have struck for runs in the opening stanza in 26 of 55 games, and 15 of them have been multi-run outputs.

- Montes is the second Isotope to homer in three consecutive games this year; Brian Serven did so in a streak that lasted four contests from April 22-28. After a stretch of 175 homerless at-bats, he has gone deep in five of his last 29 at-bats dating back to May 28 vs. Round Rock.

- Montes had the third multi-homer game of the season for Albuquerque (Bernard hit two on April 22 at Round Rock and Serven clubbed two on April 28 vs. Sacramento). It was Montes' fifth career multi-homer contest and first since Aug. 29, 2021 for Double-A Hartford at Harrisburg.

- Nuñez homered for the first time since Oct. 2, 2021 at Arizona (96 at-bats). He also collected his first three-hit contest since July 8, 2021 at Arizona.

- Bouchard registered his second three-hit game of the season, having also done so April 17 vs. Tacoma. He is batting .342 (13-for-38) with two doubles, two triples, two homers and eight RBI in 10 contests since coming off the Injured List on May 26.

- Bernard eclipsed last season's RBI total with the Isotopes (30 in 100 games), as he now has 32 in 42 contests in 2022.

- Chad Smith worked a scoreless ninth to close it out, upping his consecutive scoreless inning streak at Triple-A to 11.1 over 11 appearances.

On Deck: The Isotopes and Chihuahuas play game two in Albuquerque Wednesday evening at 6:35 p.m. Right-handed pitcher Brandon Gold is scheduled to start for the home team against southpaw Ryan Weathers.

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