Kelly Clubs Grand Slam, Rainiers Extend Winning Streak against Round Rock

TACOMA, WA – In his second game since returning to Tacoma, second baseman Ty Kelly crushed a 6th inning grand slam to help the Rainiers pull away from the Round Rock Express on Monday night at Cheney Stadium, 6-2. The grand slam is Tacoma’s second in as many days, and the club has 11 home runs in the last four contests during a four-game winning streak.

With a 2-1 lead in the 6th inning, the Rainiers (9-8) drew three straight walks to load the bases. Kelly lifted a 1-0 pitch from Round Rock reliever Joe Barlow over the right field fence, extending Tacoma’s advantage, 6-1. Left fielder Dillon Thomas, first baseman José Marmolejos and third baseman Jantzen Witte, who drew the free passes for Tacoma, all scored on the grand slam.

Kelly played with the Rainiers in parts of two seasons from 2013-14 and announced his retirement in 2019, but the 32-year-old signed with Seattle as a minor league free agent on Saturday and was assigned to Tacoma.

The hometown Rainiers also got solo home runs, first from Witte in the 5th inning, and then from first baseman José Marmolejos, who made his Tacoma debut Monday and smashed a 7th inning homer.

Tacoma added a run in the 5th inning when designated hitter Luis Torrens bounced into a 6-4-3 double play which allowed shortstop Jack Reinheimer to cross.

Right-hander Logan Verrett (1-0), who signed with Tacoma as a free agent on Saturday, pitched 5 2/3 innings and allowed one earned run on 2 hits and a pair of walks en route to the win. Verrett, who started the year with the Cleburne Railroaders in the independent American Association, recorded 4 strikeouts in his first affiliated game since pitching for Double-A Midland (OAK) in 2019.

Right-hander Ryan Dull allowed a run and struck out a pair of Express hitters over 1 1/3 innings of relief. Lefty Daniel Zamora, who was claimed off waivers from the New York Mets on Saturday, pitched a scoreless 8th inning with a strikeout.

Righty Justin Grimm allowed a run on 2 hits and a walk in the 9th inning, but left two runners stranded in scoring position with the potential tying run on deck to end the game.

The fourth straight win extends Tacoma’s longest winning streak of the season. With the series already won, the Rainiers will look to win a commanding fifth in-a-row in Tuesday night’s finale. First pitch between Tacoma and Round Rock is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. PT.

Rainiers broadcaster Mike Curto will have full coverage on TacomaRainiers.com. All 2021 Rainiers games, home and away, can also be heard for free on the MiLB First Pitch app. HD video broadcasts of every home game can be viewed with an MiLB.TV subscription. (Use code: RAINIERS to save $10 on an annual subscription.)

About the Tacoma Rainiers

The Tacoma Rainiers are the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. The Rainiers are a member of the Triple-A West. Tacoma has been a Mariners affiliate since establishing the Rainiers moniker in 1995.

Single game tickets for Tuesday’s game are available here. Questions regarding season tickets can be directed to [email protected].

The most up-to-date news and notes about the Tacoma Rainiers and Cheney Stadium can be found at WeRTacoma.com, or by following the Rainiers on Twitter (@RainiersLand), Instagram (@tacomarainiers) and liking the team on Facebook.