Chihuahuas rally from 6-2 deficit, bury Aces with seven-run eighth

The bottom of the eighth was the hinge, and El Paso crushed it. With the game still tied 6-6, the Chihuahuas sent 12 batters to the plate, rapped out nine hits and scored seven runs to blow past Reno 13-6 at Southwest University Park. What had been a comeback from a 6-2 hole became a runaway in a matter of minutes, and the Aces never got another opening once the inning broke open.

El Paso had been chasing from the second inning, when José Miranda launched a two-run homer for his second long ball in his last two games. Marcos Castañon added another homer to keep the lineup afloat while Reno was building its lead, and the Chihuahuas kept finding ways to stay attached. Pablo Reyes went 2-for-4 with a walk and an RBI, extending his on-base streak to 15 games, while Jase Bowen finished 2-for-5 with an RBI and pushed his hitting streak to nine games.

That late surge mattered because El Paso’s bullpen slammed the door after the fourth inning. Miguel Cienfuegos, Garrett Hawkins, Eli Villalobos and Ethan Routzahn all turned in scoreless relief frames, and Reno was held scoreless the rest of the way after its four-run push had put the Chihuahuas behind 6-2. Villalobos earned the win and moved to 2-1, while Campbell took the loss and fell to 0-1.

The victory came in the opener of a six-game series and gave El Paso a jolt after entering the night at 9-13, with Reno sitting at 11-11. It also came in the middle of the Chihuahuas’ first home series since opening the 2026 home season against Albuquerque on April 7. The game lasted 3:07 before an announced crowd of 4,811, and it fit the early-season rhythm of the first Silver State rivalry set of 2026. Griffin Canning was listed on El Paso’s roster as a rehab assignment player, another sign that this homestand carries more weight than a single result.