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The El Paso Chihuahuas showed some bite against the Nashville Sounds on Friday but weren’t sharp enough to finish them off in the 8-6 extra-inning game.

Sounds starter Eric Jokisch (4.62 ERA) went 6 2/3 innings and struck out 11, gave up two runs and walked one. Jokisch gave up the runs in the second inning when second baseman Carlos Asuaje doubled and was brought home by outfielder Forrestt Allday who made it to second on a fielding error.

The speedy Allday scored on a single by Auston Bousfield, El Paso 2-1.

El Paso starter Dillon Overton (2.96 ERA) pitched six innings and gave up four runs, walked none and struck out seven. Most of the damage occurred in the fifth inning when he faced seven batters – four of which hit doubles, making the score Nashville 4-2.

At this point, the game was in reach for the Chihuahuas. Both teams’ starters had given them enough to be competitive so a Allen Craig home run in the eighth started to give the crowd some hope, with Nashville only leading by one, 4-3.

Nashville answered with two insurance runs in the ninth off of reliever Colten Brewer (5.28 ERA).

The Dogs went into the ninth inning down by three and the number seven hitter leading off – it didn’t look promising. Somebody forgot to tell Allday that and he led off with a single. A strikeout and two walks later, the bases are loaded for pinch hitter Shane Peterson.

Peterson hits the ball to second and pitcher Dean Kiekhefer rushes to cover first for the out but misses the ball and allows two runs to score on the error. Infielder Luis Urias lines out to right field and Franchy Cordero tagged up and reached home, tie game 6-6.

The 10th inning started with Sounds first baseman Steve Lombardozzi on second base as per the new rule. Next came shortstop Jorge Mateo who gently pushed a home run over the right field wall, giving Nashville the 8-6 lead.

The Chihuahuas left the field with their tails between their legs after a disheartening 10th inning, where two of the three batters struck out.

The winning pitcher was Kiekhefer (4-0) and the losing pitcher was Brewer (1-4). The save went to Jeremy Bleich.

Nashville 8 El Paso 6 – Friday

WP: Kiekhefer (4-0)  |  LP: Brewer (1-4)  |  S: Bleich (1)  |  Time: 3:19  |  Attn: 7,902

Box Score   |   Team Records: Nashville (32-33), El Paso (33-35)

Next Game: Saturday, 7:05 pm at Southwest University Park. Memphis RHP Daniel Poncedeleon (5-2, 2.41) vs. El Paso RHP Luis Perdomo (3-2, 3.55). The game will air on 600 ESPN El Paso and www.epchihuahuas.com.

Author: Larry Monarrez –  El Paso Herald-Post

It was a rather unusual game the Chihuahuas played against the Nashville Sounds on Wednesday, ending with a walk-off win for the Dogs  7-6.

El Paso starting pitcher Walker Lockett (5.12 ERA) battled through five innings and gave up four runs, but the baseball gods smiled at the Dogs in their half of the fifth inning. Dogs’ catcher Brett Nicholas walked and made it to second on a single by center fielder Auston Bousfield.

A well-placed bunt to third allowed shortstop the speedy Javy Guerra to load the bases. DH Nick Schulz was walked and put El Paso
on the board (4-1, Nashville).

With the baseball gods still smiling on El Paso, Nashville put in reliever J.B. Wendelken (2.50 ERA) to face right fielder Forrestt Allday (.244 BA). Allday smacked it to deep left field where the ball was caught as the runners tagged up.

Bousfield scored on the sacrifice fly but then an errant throw by Sounds left fielder Anthony Garcia missed its target at second base and quietly rolled between first base and home, and right into the visiting dugout. Guerra scored on the error and Schulz made it to third base (4-3, Nashville).

El Paso second baseman Luis Urias walked. Then third baseman, and El Paso favorite, Carlos Asuaje hit into a fielder’s choice which got Urias out at second but allowed Schulz to score and tie the game at 4. The inning ended when first baseman Allen Craig hit a routine fly ball to center field.

Still, the Chihuahuas were back in the game.

El Paso broke the tie in the seventh inning on an unusual at bat by Asuaje. Urias was standing at second with two outs when Asuaje hit a deep line drive down the left field line that smacked the wall very near the painted line. Urias scored and Asuaje raced home on what looked like an inside-the-park home run but was called out.

Sounds coaches immediately went to discuss the call with the umpires and after a quick meeting, the call was reversed and the ball was said to be foul.

So reset: Urias back to second base and a winded Asuaje back to the plate. Asuaje singled to right field and Urias beat the throw home. Asuaje saw the throw go home and tried to take an extra base but Sounds catcher Bruce Maxwell nailed him at second base.

The Dogs added an insurance run in the eighth inning when Nicholas smacked a home run to right field, (6-4, El Paso).

Of course, wins at home have not been easy for the Chihuahuas thus far in the season, so Nashville comes back to tie the game in the ninth on a couple of well-placed hits and a sacrifice fly.

This time, however, the Dogs did not lay down and roll over. The Sounds walked two batters and gave Urias a chance to end the game. Urias singled to right field and pinch runner Dusty Coleman was sent home and called out at the plate. Asuaje was intentionally walked so that Sounds reliever Bobby Wahl (2.60 ERA) could face Craig with bases load and two outs.

The veteran Craig (.275 BA) stepped up and took a hard swing at the first pitch Wahl threw and there it went: slow blooper over first base
that landed fair in shallow right field.

The winning oitcher was Tyler Webb and the losing pitcher was Wahl.

El Paso 7 Nashville 6 – Wednesday

WP: McGrath (2-2)  |  LP: Wahl (3-2)  |  S: None  |  Time: 3:17  |  Attn: 6,354

Box Score  |  Team Records: Nashville (30-33), El Paso (33-33)

Next Game: Thursday, 7:05 pm at Southwest University Park. Nashville RHP Edwin Jackson (0-1, 1.50) vs. El Paso RHP Brett Kennedy (3-0, 3.16). The game will air on 600 ESPN El Paso and www.epchihuahuas.com.

Author: Larry Monarrez |Photo Gallery by Deborah Hill, El Paso Herald-Post

The El Paso Chihuahuas trailed 3-0 at the seventh inning stretch Wednesday night but came back to beat the Sacramento River Cats 4-3. It was the first meeting of the season between the two teams.

The Chihuahuas sent seven batters to the plate in the bottom of the seventh inning and scored three runs to tie the game. Scoreless innings from El Paso relievers T.J. Weir and Tyler Webb set up a potential walk-off situation for El Paso.

Diego Goris led off the bottom of the ninth with a high fly ball into the right field corner and it was misplayed by Austin Slater for a three-base error.

One batter later, Javy Guerra lined a single through the drawn-in infield to win the game.

The victory was El Paso’s second walk-off win of the year. Seth Simmons pitched well in his first Triple-A start of the season, holding Sacramento to one run in six innings.

Wednesday was El Paso’s fifth one-run game in the last eight contests.

Box Score  |  Team Records: Sacramento (25-29), El Paso (27-27)

Next Game: Thursday, 6:35 pm at Southwest University Park. Sacramento LHP Conner Menez (0-1, 9.00) vs. El Paso RHP Miguel Diaz (0-0, 4.50). The game will air on 600 ESPN El Paso and www.epchihuahuas.com.

El Paso 4 Sacramento 3 – Wednesday

WP: Webb (1-0)  LP: Parra (1-1)  S: None  Time: 2:41  Attn: 5,880

Photos by Andres ‘Ace’ Acosta, Chief Photographer – El Paso Herald-Post

It was only two pitches: Two pitches that made the difference in the El Paso Chihuahuas 9-7 loss against the Fresno Grizzlies on Thursday.

El Paso’s pitchers struggled on Thursday. Each of the four pitchers allowed runs to the hot-hitting Grizzlies. Fresno third baseman J.D. Davis (.425 BA) led the way by hitting for the cycle and alone accounted for five of the their runs.

El Paso starter Chris Huffman (5.80 ERA) went three innings and gave up four earned runs. Relievers T.J. Weir (6.23 ERA) and Kyle McGrath (5.87 ERA) each allowed two earned runs. And Colten Brewer (5.51 ERA) allowed one.

El Paso hitters struggled through the first five innings against Fresno starter Josh James who was throwing in the mid-90s and struck out 10 of the 16 batters he faced, allowing only three hits and two earned runs. The Dogs, however, found their swing in the 6^th with back-to-back doubles and a two-run home run by designated hitter Allen Craig (.241 BA) that smacked into the center field scoreboard.

The score was tied 6-6 in the 6^th inning, anyone’s game. Fresno scored once more in the 7^th and finished it off with back-to-back long balls in the 9^th. The Chihuahuas showed some spark in their half of that inning but only managed to score one run on a Brett Nicholas (.301 BA) single to right field.

So again, just two pitches. You can choose any one of those pitches that scored a run and the result would have been the same: El Paso’s pitching is struggling.

The winning pitcher was Matt Ramsey (2-1). The losing pitcher was Brewer (0-3) and the save went to Brendan McCurry.

Next Game: Friday, 7:05 pm at Southwest University Park. Fresno RHP David Paulino (0-0, 4.85) vs. El Paso RHP Jesse Scholtens (0-1, 2.70). The game will air on 600 ESPN El Paso and www.epchihuahuas.com

Stats by El Paso Chihuahuas:

Fresno 9 – El Paso 7 – Thursday  WP: Ramsey (2-1)  |  LP: Brewer (0-3)  |   S: McCurry (7)   |   Time: 3:04  |  Attn: 6,341

Box Score: Box Score   |   Team Records: Fresno (25-16), El Paso (20-21)

Author: Larry Monarrez – El Paso Herald-Post

The Reno Aces got past the El Paso Chihuahuas 3-1 Tuesday in a quick-moving game at Greater Nevada Field. The Aces won three of the four games in the series.

El Paso’s lone run came on a solo home run by Brett Nicholas in the top of the eighth inning, his 11^th home run of the season. The longball stopped El Paso from being shut out for the first time this season.

Nicholas had multiple hits and at least one RBI in both of the final two games of the series.

The Chihuahuas had strong starting pitching in the series, as none of the four starters allowed more than two earned runs. Neither team scored more than six runs in any of the four games at Greater Nevada Field, which is usually known as a hitters’ ballpark.

Tuesday’s contest finished three minutes longer than the shortest nine-inning game in Chihuahuas’ history, set April 30, 2016 at Fresno.

The Chihuahuas do not play on Wednesday.

Reno 3 El Paso 1 – Tuesday  WP: Buchanan (2-3)  LP: Perdomo (3-2)  S: Bracho (1)  Time: 2:03  Attn: 6,324

Box Score   |   Team Records: El Paso (20-20), Reno (17-23)

Next Game: Thursday, 6:35 pm at Southwest University Park. Fresno RHP Josh James (0-1, 5.40) vs. El Paso RHP Chris Huffman (2-3, 5.30). The game will air on 600 ESPN El Paso and www.epchihuahuas.com.

Walker Lockett pitched into the seventh inning in Monday’s 6-3 win for the El Paso
Chihuahuas over the Reno Aces. Lockett allowed only two runs, which was the third
consecutive game El Paso’s starter allowed two runs or less. The win snapped a
three-game losing streak.

Allen Craig started at first base and went 3-for-4 with a long home run to left
field and two RBIs. The top three hitters in the Chihuahuas’ order, Luis Urias,
Auston Bousfield and Brett Nicholas had two hits apiece. Trey Wingenter and Tyler
Webb both tossed scoreless outings out of the El Paso bullpen. Jose Castillo pitched
the ninth inning and let in one run in his Triple-A debut.

The victory pushed El Paso’s record to above .500. The Chihuahuas have not had a
losing record at any point this season. Shane Peterson went 1-for-5 and now has 998
minor league hits in his career. El Paso’s 13-6 road record is the best in the
Pacific Coast League.

Box Score Team Records: El Paso (20-19), Reno (16-23)

Next Game: Tuesday, 12:35 pm at Greater Nevada Field. El Paso RHP Luis Perdomo (3-1,
3.10) vs. Reno RHP Jake Buchanan (1-3, 4.63). The game will air on 600 ESPN El Paso
and www.epchihuahuas.com

The Reno Aces beat the El Paso Chihuahuas by one run for the second consecutive game Sunday, winning 5-4.

The Chihuahuas had a strong start for the second straight day, with Dillon Overton allowing two first inning runs before retiring the final 14 batters he faced.

The Chihuahuas scored in the fourth on A.J. Kennedy’s first Triple-A hit, an RBI single off former MLB All-Star Clay Buchholz. Franmil Reyes and Diego Goris hit back-to-back RBI singles one inning later to put El Paso ahead 3-2.

The lead held until Anthony Recker’s two out, two-strike home run put Reno ahead by a run in the eighth. Recker has four home runs in six games against El Paso this season.

Auston Bousfield hit a solo home run against former AL Rookie of the Year Neftali Feliz in the ninth inning, Bousfield’s first homer of the season between Double-A and Triple-A.

Overton went 1-for-2 at the plate and is now 3-for-4 this season batting.

Reno 5 El Paso 4 – Sunday – WP: Krehbiel (2-1)  LP: McGrath (1-2)  S: Feliz (1)  Time: 2:32  Attn: 3,681

Box Score   |   Team Records: El Paso (19-19), Reno (16-22)

Next Game: Monday, 7:35 pm at Greater Nevada Field. El Paso RHP Walker Lockett (1-3, 5.49) vs. Reno RHP Albert Suarez (0-0, 6.75). The game will air on 600 ESPN El Paso and www.epchihuahuas.com.

Jesse Scholtens pitched well for El Paso in his Triple-A debut Saturday but the Chihuahuas lost the road trip opener to the Reno Aces 2-1.

Scholtens allowed two runs in 6.2 innings but suffered the loss. Reno starter Taylor Clarke pitched well also, limiting El Paso to one run in seven innings. Clarke has held El Paso to three runs in 14 innings this season.

Franmil Reyes drove a solo home run into Reno’s right field bullpen in the fourth inning. It was his 14^th homer of the season, separating him from Double-A Harrisburg’s Juan Soto for the Minor League Baseball lead in home runs.

The Chihuahuas loaded the bases with one out in the eighth inning but weren’t able to score and tie the game. Auston Bousfield pinch ran for El Paso in the ninth inning on the day he arrived from Double-A San Antonio.

El Paso’s two hits tied the team record for fewest hits in a game.

Box Score   |   Team Records: El Paso (19-18), Reno (15-22)

Reno 2 El Paso 1 – Saturday  WP: Clarke (3-5)  LP: Scholtens (0-1)  S: Hagens (1)  Time: 2:30  Attn: 6,374

Next Game: Sunday, 2:05 pm at Greater Nevada Field. El Paso LHP Dillon Overton (0-0, 0.00) vs. Reno RHP Clay Buchholz (1-1, 3.12). The game will air on 600 ESPN El Paso and www.epchihuahuas.com.

The El Paso Chihuahuas scored 11 runs in the first three innings Thursday and beat the Tacoma Rainiers 11-3. It ended El Paso’s five-game losing streak.

The first five Chihuahuas hitters in the bottom of the third inning walked, two bases on balls short of the Pacific Coast League record for consecutive batters reaching on a walk.

After the two bases-loaded walks, Cory Spangenberg hit a grand slam to center field, the Chihuahuas’ third grand slam of the season. El Paso’s offense had nine walks in the game, one shy of a team record.

The repeated walks provided an unusual scoring line after three innings, as the Chihuahuas had 11 runs on four hits at that point. Luis Perdomo allowed two runs in six innings and received his third win in four starts since being optioned from San Diego.

Spangenberg went 3-for-5 with a walk and five RBIs for the Chihuahuas. Brett Nicholas hit a three-run home run in the first inning, becoming the fourth PCL player this season with a double-digit home run total.

Box Score    |   Team Records: Tacoma (16-18), El Paso (19-16)

Next Game: Friday, 7:05 pm at Southwest University Park. Tacoma RHP Christian Bergman (2-3, 3.69) vs. El Paso RHP Chris Huffman (2-1, 3.13). The game will air on 600 ESPN El Paso and www.epchihuahuas.com

El Paso 11 Tacoma 3 – Thursday
WP: Perdomo (3-1)
LP: Povse (1-6)
S: None
Time: 2:40
Attn: 8,267

The El Paso Chihuahuas started out the 2018 season on fire, but in the last 14 games seem to be in some kind of funk. They’ve lost 11 of the last 14, and that trend continued Wednesday night as the Dogs dropped their fifth straight game Wednesday, this time to the Tacoma Rainiers 8-5.

El Paso scored first in the bottom of the 2^nd inning when infielder Javy Guerra scored from second base on a hit single from catcher Stephen McGee (.125 BA). Tacoma answered in the 3^rd with a two-run homer by third baseman Taylor Motter (.190 BA).

It was still a close game and El Paso starter Walker Lockett (1-3) seemed to settle down until the 5^th in which he gave up a triple to outfielder John Andreoli. Andreoli scored on a single to center by shortstop Zach Vince. Vince scored on a sacrifice fly to left center field.

The Rainiers scored again when infielder Gordon Beckham hit a sacrifice fly to center and scored outfielder Ian Miller.

Tacoma tacked on three more runs, one in the 6^th charged to Lockett and two in the 9^th on a two-run homer by Cameron Perkins off of Dogs’ reliever Robert Stock (.450 ERA).

The crowd of 6,592 were treated to a suspenseful 9^th when El Paso shortstop Javy Guerra started a modest rally the inning with a single on a throwing error. Then outfielder Shane Peterson singled with one out. Outfielder Cory Spangenberg doubled them in and advanced to third base on a wild pitch.

It looked like there was still hope as the heart of the lineup was set to come up with only one out. Second baseman Luis Urias drove in Spangenberg on a 4-to-3 groundout. But then, the rally fizzled on a Brett Nicholas fly ball to centerfield.

Rob Whalen (4-2) was the winning pitcher. Lockett (1-3) was the losing pitcher.

Box Score   |   Team Records: Tacoma (16-17), El Paso (18-16)

WP: Whalen (4-2)  LP: Lockett (1-3)  S: None  Time: 2:52  Attn: 6,592

Next Game: Thursday, 6:35 pm at Southwest University Park. Tacoma RHP Max Povse (1-5, 7.58) vs. El Paso RHP Luis Perdomo (2-1, 3.13). The game will air on 600 ESPN El Paso and www.epchihuahuas.com.

Author: Larry Monarrez – El Paso Herald-Post

Gallery by Steven Cottingham, Photographer, El Paso Herald-Post

The Tacoma Rainiers broke a late tie with a four-run top of the ninth inning Tuesday and beat the El Paso Chihuahuas 10-6.

It was the first meeting of the season between the two teams. The Chihuahuas have dropped four consecutive games.

Franmil Reyes went 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI and now has multiple hits in eight consecutive games. He has a nine-game hitting streak overall and has compiled 16 RBIs in eight games this month.

Reliever Kazuhisa Makita pitched two scoreless innings for the Chihuahuas on the day he arrived to El Paso. The Chihuahuas’ opponent has scored first in all four games of El Paso’s current losing streak.

Box Score  |   Team Records: Tacoma (15-17), El Paso (18-15)

Next Game: Wednesday, 6:35 pm at Southwest University Park. Tacoma RHP Rob Whalen (3-2, 6.00) vs. El Paso RHP Walker Lockett (1-2, 4.91). The game will air on 600 ESPN El Paso and www.epchihuahuas.com

Tacoma 10 El Paso 6 – Tuesday

WP: Morin (2-0) LP: Brewer (0-2) S: None Time: 3:09 Attn: 6,288

Gallery by Andres ‘Ace’ Acosta, Chief Photographer, El Paso Herald-Post

The Albuquerque Isotopes beat the El Paso Chihuahuas 11-7 Monday and took three of the four games in the series.

The Isotopes started the bottom of the second inning with an inside-the-park home run by Derrik Gibson, the eighth inside-the-park home run against the Chihuahuas in their team history.

Franmil Reyes went 2-for-4 with two singles, a walk and an RBI. Reyes now has an eight-game hitting streak, seven consecutive games with multiple hits and 15 RBIs in seven games this month.

Dusty Coleman went 2-for-4 with a double and a home run and played center field for the first time in his career.

Infielder Matthew Batten reached base three times on a single and two walks in his second start at second base since being transferred from Padres Extended Spring Training. There were 18 combined home runs in the four-game series.

Box Score   |   Team Records: El Paso (18-14), Albuquerque (15-17)

Next Game: Tuesday, 6:35 pm at Southwest University Park. Tacoma LHP Angel Miranda (2-0, 5.03) vs. El Paso RHP Brett Kennedy (3-0, 2.45). The game will air on 600 ESPN El Paso and www.epchihuahuas.com.

Albuquerque 11 El Paso 7 – Monday

WP: Howard (2-3)

LP: Mariot (0-1)

S: None

Time: 2:53

Attn: 11,185

The Albuquerque Isotopes beat the El Paso Chihuahuas 14-12 Sunday in a slugfest that had 34 combined hits and seven home runs. Both teams hit a grand slam.

The Chihuahuas trailed 8-2 in the top of the fifth when they batted around and scored six runs, their third comeback of six runs or more this season. Dusty Coleman went 2-for-5 with four RBIs on the Chihuahuas’ second grand slam of the season.

Diego Goris and Luis Urias collected four hits each, including a home run by both.

Franmil Reyes homered in his fifth straight game, has eight home runs in his last five games and leads all of Minor League Baseball with 13 this season. Reyes has compiled four straight three-hit games, six straight multi-hit games and has a .696 batting average in May.

The Chihuahuas set a season high with 18 hits Sunday. It was the first time all season the Chihuahuas lost in a game in which they outhit their opponent. Reyes and Goris hit back-to-back home runs in the sixth inning, El Paso’s first set of back-to-back homers since April 7 at Las Vegas (Brett Nicholas and Javy Guerra).

Box Score   |    Team Records: El Paso (18-13), Albuquerque (14-17)

Next Game: Monday, 11:05 pm at Isotopes Park. El Paso TBA vs. Albuquerque LHP Sam Howard (1-3, 5.87). The game will air on 600 ESPN El Paso and www.epchihuahuas.com.

Albuquerque 14 El Paso 12 – Sunday

WP: Gonzalez (1-0)

LP: McGrath (1-1)

S: Johnson (6)

Time: 3:28

Attn: 9,147

The El Paso Chihuahuas brought the tying run to the plate in the top of the ninth inning Saturday but lost 4-1 to the Albuquerque Isotopes.

It was only the second road loss for El Paso in 14 tries.

Franmil Reyes went 3-for-4 with another home run, his seventh in his last four games. Reyes had two homers in each of the three games leading up to Saturday’s contest. Dusty Coleman went 1-for-3 with his second double in as many games.

Tyler Webb, Robert Stock and Colten Brewer all pitched scoreless outings out of El Paso’s bullpen. The loss dropped the Chihuahuas out of first place for the first time this year.

Saturday’s crowd of 16,975 was the largest in the 16-year history of Isotopes Park.

Box Score   |    Team Records: El Paso (18-12), Albuquerque (13-17)

Next Game: Sunday, 1:35 pm at Isotopes Park. El Paso RHP Kyle Lloyd (3-1, 5.81) vs. Albuquerque RHP Jeff Hoffman (1-3, 4.42). The game will air on 600 ESPN El Paso and www.epchihuahuas.com.

Albuquerque 4 El Paso 1 – Saturday

WP: Hessler (1-1)

LP: Huffman (2-2)

S: Johnson (5)

Time: 2:45

Attn: 16,975