The Reno Aces and Colorado Springs Sky Sox played a marathon on Saturday afternoon in Colorado Springs.
The Aces and Sky Sox played 15 innings and over four hours before the Sky Sox escaped with a 3-2 victory. The Aces scored took a 2-1 lead in the top of the 15th inning only to watch the Sky Sox score twice in the bottom of the inning to steal the victory.
The Aces (1-2) and Sky Sox (2-1) will conclude their season-opening series on Sunday at 12:35 p.m.
A total of 422 pitches by 12 pitchers were thrown in the game that took 4:16 to complete. The Aces used seven pitchers including former Nevada Wolf Pack player Eddie Bonine who made his Aces debut with two shutout innings in relief.
Colorado Springs took a 1-0 lead with a run in the first inning off Aces starter Charles Brewer. Tim Wheeler singled and went to second and third on a pair of groundouts before scoring on a two0-out double by Nolan Arenado.
The Sky Sox wouldn't score again for almost four hours.
The Aces tied the game in the seventh off Sky Sox reliever Manny Corpas. Brad Snyder walked and moved to third on a single by Taylor Harbin. Snyder then scored to even the game at 1-1 on a groundout to first by Tyler Kuhn.
Neither team scored over the next seven innings as the bullpens dominated.
Brewer, who allowed just five hits and a run in six innings, was followed to the mound by Bonine, Joe Patterson, Bo Schultz, Eury De La Rosa, Garrett Mock and Evan Marshall. Bonine, De La Rosa and Mock each pitched two shutout innings and Patterson and Schultz tossed a scoreless inning each.
Colorado Springs reliever Mike McClendon was brilliant, tossing three scoreless and hitless innings of relief. Bobby Cassevah gave up four hits to the Aces but also wasn't scored upon in his three innings.
The Aces, though, took a 2-1 lead in the 15th off Sky Sox reliever Jeff Manship. Tuffy Gosewisch doubled and was sacrificed to third by Evan Frey. Gosewisch scored on a single by pitcher Garrett Mock for the 2-1 lead.
Marshall, though, couldn't save the victory for Mock in the bottom of the 15th.
Singles by Lars Davis, Tim Wheeler and D.J. LeMahieu loaded the bases with one out against Marshall. Corey Dickerson then singled home Davis to tie the game at 2-2 but the Aces got a break when Snyder tossed Wheeler out at the plate for the second out.
A wild pitch with Arenado at the plate, though, sent LeMahieu to third and Dickerson to second. The Aces then intentionally walked Arenado to load the bases. Ben Paulsen, though, spoiled the strategy by singling home LeMahieu with the game-winning run.
Chris Owings had three of the Aces' 12 hits. Harbin and Kuhn each had two hits. Arenado had three of the Sky Sox's 13 hits.
