Tim Parsons / Tahoe Onstage file
Reno Aces catcher Anthony Recker put a bow on Mother’s Day during a 5-4 victory over El Paso.
Recker finished 1-for-3, including a two-run bomb in the seventh inning, to secure an Aces victory. It was his fourth homer and 10th RBI of the year to go along with a blistering .346 batting average.
“I was just trying to see the ball well,” Recker said. “I got some solid contact and luckily the ball ended up where I wanted it to be. So far, everything about my swing is working pretty well. hopefully I can keep it up as the season goes along.”
On what was a quiet game offensively for Reno, its eight hits were enough to get the win. Reno has taken the first two games of the four-game series.
“We just need to take it one game at a time,” Recker said. “From there, we can take positive steps in order to improve as a team.”
Reno’s Clay Buchholz tossed 5.2 innings, giving up three earned runs on six hits and four walks with four strikeouts. He has a 4.01 ERA and 904 strikeouts that spans over his 11-year big league career. A memorable moment of his came in his second start in 2007 when he threw a no hitter against the Baltimore Orioles as a member of the Boston Red Sox.
The Chihuahuas countered with Dillon Overton, who went five innings, surrendering two earned runs on three hits with one strikeout.
The weather didn’t greet the 3,681 fans in attendance nicely, with rain and heavy gusts of wind that lasted through the first four innings.
Kevin Cron’s double to the gap in center field scored Jack Reinheimer and Christian Walker, putting Reno up 2-0 to end the first inning. The bloodlines run deep in the Cron family, with brother C.J. Cron hitting .280 with eight homers and 23 RBIs as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays. Their father Chris played with the California Angels and Chicago White Sox in 1991-92.
At midgame, the Chihuahuas took a 3-2 lead with RBI singles from A.J. Kennedy, Franmil Reyes and Diego Goris.
But 377 feet later, Recker’s shot to left put the Aces with the lead and they never looked back. Walker added onto the lead with an RBI double over the head of Reyes in right field to tack on another run for Reno.
Neftali Feliz, who pitched 357 games in the majors, recorded his first save of the season.
Notes: Second baseman Jack Reinheimer,who finished 2-for-4, eclipsed 311 hits with the Aces, placing him third all time in team history. … Walker is 7-for-10 on Mother’s Day with Reno, hitting for the cycle, driving in six RBIs and scoring three runs.
On Deck: Reno’s four-game series with El Paso will continue Monday when pitcher Albert Suarez gets his third start for the Aces. He will face Walker Lockett (1-3). The game has a 6:35 p.m. start.
Tim Parsons / Tahoe Onstage
Sherfy called back to Arizona
Aces reliever Jimmie Sherfy is being called back to the desert.
The Aces all-time leader in saves (39) was called up to the Arizona Diamondbacks before Sunday’s nationally televised game in Phoenix. Troy Scribner was optioned back to Reno.
Sherfy pitched a scoreless inning Sunday for the first-place Diamondbacks, which lost 6-4 in a four-game sweep against the Washington Nationals.
Sherfy holds an impressive 2-0 record and spotless 0.00 ERA in 11 appearances with Arizona in 2017. He held opponents to a .166 batting average and 0.66 WHIP with nine strikeouts in 10.2 innings of work. In two postseason appearances. he gave up four runs on five hits.
Sherfy, 26, made his MLB debut on August 20, 2017, pitching one inning of relief against the Minnesota Twins. The flame-throwing righty recorded 20 saves with the Aces last season and was one shy from tying the most saves in the Pacific Coast League with 21.
With the D-Backs poised to recall Sherfy, Bradin Hagens notched his first save since 2010 in the Aces 2-1 victory Saturday night.
Troy Scribner made his first big league start this season for Arizona on Saturday. The right-hander tossed 3.2 innings, giving up two earned runs on four hits and six walks with four strikeouts and losing the decision. Scribner is 2-1 with a 5.68 ERA with the Aces this season.
-Isaiah Burrows
