Hill solid, offense surges as 51s halt three-game slide
Shawn Hill and two relievers teamed to limit Tacoma to six hits, and Kevin Howard and Ricardo Nanita had two RBIs apiece as the 51s beat the Rainiers 6-1 in a Pacific Coast League game Thursday night in Tacoma, Wash.
Hill (9-1) worked the first five innings and gave up one run on three hits and four walks and struck out four. Bobby Korecky struck out three in three scoreless innings, and Jerry Gil tossed a hitless ninth as Las Vegas (74-58) halted its three-game losing streak.
Howard put the 51s ahead with an RBI single in the second inning and led off the fifth with his third home run to give Las Vegas a 3-0 lead.
The 51s pulled away in the seventh off Rainiers reliever Brian Moran, scoring on Nanita's two-run single and a two-out RBI double by Luke Hughes.
Hughes finished 3-for-5 to pace a 10-hit attack for Las Vegas, which totaled three runs during its three-game slide.
Hector Noesi (1-5) started for Tacoma (57-76) and gave up three runs on eight hits and two walks and struck out six in six innings.
The Rainiers scored in the fifth. A double by Nick Franklin set up Franklin Gutierrez's sacrifice fly.
