Raleigh powers Tacoma past Albuquerque with six-run sixth inning

Cal Raleigh turned a tight Triple-A game into another Seattle talking point Thursday night, driving a three-run homer into the middle of a five-run sixth inning as Tacoma beat Albuquerque 9-5 at Cheney Stadium. Gabe Mosser handled the first six frames with authority, and the Rainiers used the combination of power and pitching to win their third straight over the Isotopes.

The game opened with Albuquerque in control. Zac Veen followed Richie Martin Jr.’s single with a two-run homer in the first inning, giving the Isotopes a 2-0 lead before Tacoma settled in. The Rainiers answered with patience and pressure, including a third inning that featured bases-loaded walks, then kept chipping until the sixth inning changed everything.

Tacoma trailed 5-3 before the decisive rally, but Raleigh’s swing pushed the Rainiers ahead 8-5 and sealed the momentum swing. The homer capped a night in which Tacoma again leaned on a major-league name in the middle of a game that had real consequences for the Mariners’ roster picture. Raleigh had already made the biggest noise in the series two days earlier, when Tacoma rolled to a 15-3 win and he homered twice, including a grand slam, in his first rehab appearance for the club after Seattle shifted his assignment from Everett to Tacoma.

Mosser gave Tacoma the kind of outing that keeps a bullpen from being overworked and a lineup from having to chase. He worked 6.0 innings, allowed four hits and two runs, and struck out a season-high seven for his fourth quality start. In the late innings, Troy Taylor finished the job by recording the final four outs for his third save of the season.

The offense stayed active behind Raleigh, too. Hogan Windish homered for the second straight game, Blake Rambusch collected his first Triple-A hit and finished with three hits, and Will Wilson was in the lineup on major-league rehab as Tacoma continued to mix development with immediate production. The result lifted the Rainiers to 28-38 and dropped Albuquerque to 34-32, with Cheney Stadium once again serving as the stage for a game that carried more weight than a simple Triple-A result.