Las Vegas 51s Draw Full House in 12-0 Win Over Reno Aces
It isn’t often that a team puts together a complete game like the Las Vegas 51s did Friday night against the Reno Aces. A kind of game where the pitching is dominating, the hitting is spectacular, they get great power production, timely hitting, and solid defense. The 51s had just such a night, and this enabled them to put together a dominating 12-0 win in their Pacific Coast League clash.
As they had done the previous night, Las Vegas got on the scoreboard first with a run in the opening frame of the game. Dilson Herrera led off with a double, his fifth of the year, against Aces starter Vidal Nuno. One out later Matt Reynolds lined a single to centerfield scoring Herrera, and the 51s were on top 1-0.
The score remained that way until the fifth when the visitors put up four. Pitcher Steven Matz singled to lead off the inning, and one out later Wilfredo Tovar lined a shot to the gap in rightfield that scored Matz from first. Reynolds then came to the plate again, and this time lined a short over the left-centerfield wall for his second home run of the season. Alex Castellanos then followed with his fifth home run of the year to make it 5-0.
The five runs were way more than Matz needed on this night. The left-hander retired the first 11 batters of the game, with Peter O’Brien drawing a two-out walk in the fourth to break the streak. Matz was in complete control, allowing just two balls out of the infield in the first four frames, while striking out three.
Following the fifth inning outburst by his offense, a rally that began with his single, Matz took the mound in the fifth and continued to control the Aces’ bats. Ground outs were the first and third outs of the inning, and he struck out the second batter to retire the side in order.
The no-hitter continued into the sixth, when he retired all three batters on ground outs. His pitches were sinking well, forcing Reno hitters to drive the ball into the ground. The Aces seemed to have no answer, and staked to a 5-0 lead, Matz was not going to let this one get away.
In the bottom of the seventh the left-hander retired the first two batters, but Nick Evans lined a single to left field to break up the no-hitter. Garrett Weber followed with a single to right, but Matt Pagnozzi struck out swinging to end the threat, and keep the shutout intact.
After the 51s’ bats were kept at bay since the fifth, Las Vegas scored three more in the eighth. Castellanos doubled to lead off the inning and Travis Taijeron walked to put runners at first and second with no one out. Brandon Allen followed with a single scoring Castellanos and making the score 6-0. A double play put Taijeron at third, and he scored when Kyle Johnson grounded a ball back up the middle for a base hit. Back-to-back wild pitches put Johnson at third, and he scored when Herrera grounded a shot of his own up the middle to make the score 8-0.
In the top of the ninth the Las Vegas 51s added to their commanding lead. Danny Worth took over the pitching duties for Reno and walked Reynolds to begin the frame. Castellanos then grounded into a force, and Taijeron was then hit by a pitch. Allen walked to load the bases with one out. Dan Rohlfing followed with a single into right field moving everyone up 90 feet, including Castellanos who scored on the play. Johnson was then hit by a pitch, which scored Taijeron. Darrell Ceciliani pinch-hit and singled to right to bring home Allen, and Herrera closed out the scoring by grounding into a fielder’s choice that scored Rohlfing.
The Las Vegas 51s finished with 12 runs on 15 hits. They added three doubles and two home runs, and were especially clutch on this evening, going 7-14 with runners in scoring position. Castellanos was 3-5 with three runs scored and an RBI to lead the team. Reynolds add two hits and three RBI.
While the hitting onslaught was impressive, it was the 51s starting pitcher that was the big story. Matz (2-1) was the winner, going seven innings, allowing two hits and walk, while striking out five. The lefty threw 65 of his 92 pitches for strikes, and 13 of the 21 outs he recorded came on groundouts. Zach Thornton and Jack Leathersich each pitched a perfect inning for Las Vegas.
The Las Vegas 51s return home to face Albuquerque in a three-game series starting Saturday. Reno travels to Fresno to play a four-game set starting Saturday as well.
By Robert Pannier