Aces fade after four-run start, River Cats rally for 9-5 win

Reno had the game where it wanted it: up 4-0 after two innings and still in front 5-1 entering the sixth. Then the bullpen handed Sacramento the inning that changed everything, and the Aces never recovered in a 9-5 loss at Sutter Health Park.

The Aces opened fast with an RBI double and Andrew Velazquez’s first homer of the season, then stretched the lead when Kristian Robinson doubled off the wall and drove in Luken Baker, who had reached on a fielder’s choice. Reno added another run in the sixth on a sacrifice fly from LuJames Groover, but by then the night had already started to tilt the other way. Sacramento, which had been shut out 4-0 the night before, found its punch immediately and turned the middle innings into a rescue mission.

The decisive swing came in the sixth. The River Cats put up five runs in the frame, including a two-run homer by Buddy Kennedy off Thomas Hatch, and followed with single runs in the seventh and eighth to bury Reno. Hatch, making his season debut for the Aces, allowed four runs on five hits in 3.0 innings and was tagged for three Sacramento homers overall, matching his career high for home runs allowed at any professional level. Juan Burgos then took the blown save after giving up three runs in just one-third of an inning, the kind of collapse that exposes how thin the margin can be once a Triple-A game gets to the bullpen.

That is the weak point Reno has to clean up. The offense did enough to win most nights, and Robinson was almost perfect in doing his part, going 3-for-3 with a run, a double, an RBI and two walks. LuJames Groover also kept his run going, extending his on-base streak to 26 games after reaching safely again. But once Sacramento started stacking quality swings, the Aces had no answer.

Reno and Sacramento are now tied 1-1 in the series after a game that looked controlled for five innings and unravelled fast in the sixth. The Aces had the lead, the momentum and the chance to put the series in hand; instead, one bad stretch turned a manageable night into an immediate warning sign.