LAS VEGAS – A pinch-hit home run from Tim Tawa in the top of the eighth brought the Reno Aces within one on Thursday, but they could get no closer as the Las Vegas Aviators outlasted Reno in game three by a 5-4 final.
A triple from Kristian Robinson and the fourth homer of the season from
Christian Cerda handed the Aces (28-32) the game’s first lead in the second inning, but the Aviators (33-25) responded by scoring the game’s next five runs.
Las Vegas did their damage in four straight innings from the third through the sixth, forcing out Reno starter Tommy Henry (0-3) and the loss after just 4.1 innings and four runs allowed on nine hits. However, he did strike out three batters which moved his Reno career total to 303, just four shy of matching Charles Brewer for the most in team history.
Trailing by three heading into the latter stages, the Aces repeated a successful recipe from earlier in the contest. Hitting with one out, Luis Urías roped a triple to right field and immediately scored when the pinch-hitting Tawa crushed his first of the season in his third game with Reno.
That home run from Tawa was the 37th pinch-hit homer in Reno history, the first since Luken Baker did it just days ago on May 29 at home against Reno. Even more clutch, it was the 21st pinch-hit home run in the eighth inning or later in Aces history, and the first since Aramis Garcia on May 9, 2025.
However, a quick inning in the ninth led Aces to their first loss of the series, and just their fifth by one run this season.
Of the seven Reno hits, two belonged to Urías who was 2-for-3 with a triple, walk and run scored. That was one of two triples in the game as Robinson also chipped in a three-bagger, bringing Reno’s total to 21 for the season which is fourth most in all MiLB.
Reno will try to get back in the win column in game four of this series on Friday at 7:05 p.m. PT.