Isotopes Hold Off Reno's Ninth-Inning Rally for 5-4 Victory

Cole Carrigg had been in the game exactly one batter when he changed it. Inserted as a pinch-runner in the late innings on Mariachis Night at Isotopes Park, the Colorado Rockies outfield prospect stole second, advanced to third, and then pulled off a straight steal of home to give Albuquerque its fifth and final run. The Isotopes needed every bit of it, surviving a two-run ninth-inning push from the Reno Aces to win 5-4 on Saturday night and improve to 3-5 on the season.

Kristian Robinson set the tone early, tagging Albuquerque starter Adam Laskey with Reno's first home run of the 2026 season, a 444-foot shot that left the bat at 105.1 mph on a 1-0 fastball. It was a commanding start for the Aces, but the lead didn't hold. Laskey settled in enough to work four innings, and Albuquerque's offense woke up in a prolonged stretch from the fourth through the seventh innings, scoring all five of its runs during that window.

The damage came in bursts. Adael Amador singled with two outs to cash in a leadoff walk for one run. Ryan Ritter delivered an RBI single in the fifth. Reno's bullpen compounded things in the sixth, surrendering a bases-loaded walk and a wild pitch that combined for two more Isotopes runs. Carrigg's steal of home provided the insurance that, in hindsight, proved decisive.

Reno starter Dylan Ray gave the Aces a quality effort, allowing just two earned runs on five hits across 4.1 innings with four strikeouts, but the relief corps couldn't protect the deficit. Yilber Diaz was the lone Reno reliever who threw a scoreless frame, retiring four batters in 1.1 innings while striking out two.

The ninth inning set up as well as Reno could have drawn it. Arizona's top prospect Ryan Waldschmidt led off with his second double of the night and moved to third on a Tommy Troy single. With one out, Luken Baker, the 2023 International League MVP, drew a walk to load the bases, bringing up A.J. Vukovich, Reno's 2025 home run leader who launched four grand slams last season. Vukovich drove in two, pulling the Aces within 5-4, but the Isotopes' bullpen stranded the tying run and slammed the door.

Waldschmidt finished 2-for-4 with a walk, a run scored, and now has five extra-base hits among his first nine knocks of the 2026 campaign. Robinson and Vukovich each went 2-for-4 with a run scored. The performances are a reminder of how dangerous Reno's lineup can be, even when the final score doesn't reflect it. The Aces fell to 4-4 and will need to convert those loaded-base situations if they want to flip a series that has been defined by late-game margins.