TACOMA, WA (July 5, 2026) — The Tacoma Rainiers (4-8/37-50) fell in the series finale to the Reno Aces (6-5/39-48) by a score of 2-1, dropping the series four games to two. Casey Lawrence recorded his minor-league-leading 10th quality start, by tossing 6.1 scoreless frames while striking out four. Connor Joe picked up his second three-hit game of the season and drove in the only Tacoma run while Brock Rodden turned in his team-best 18th multi-hit performance of the season.
Starting pitching was the star of the show in the early stages of the game. Mitch Bratt kept Tacoma scoreless while allowing four singles across the first three frames and Casey Lawrence retired the first eight batters he faced, until Jean Walters hit a two-out double in the third inning to snap the streak.
Reno threatened to score in the sixth inning. Walters ripped a leadoff double into the left-center field gap and advanced to third when Kristian Robinson laid down a bunt single. After Jose Fernandez lined out, Ryan Waldschmidt bunted a bouncing ball to first. With Walters sprinting home, Connor Joe glove flipped the ball to Jakson Reetz at the plate, who applied the tag on Walters before he could get a hand in, keeping the game tied at zero. Lawrence escaped the inning without allowing a run when Locklear grounded out for the final out of the inning.
The Aces broke the scoreless deadlock in the top of the eighth inning. Christian Cerda worked a walk to lead off the frame and moved up to second when Walters laid down a sacrifice bunt. Then, Robinson walked to put runners on first and second with one out. After Fernandez struck out, Waldschmidt smacked a double into the right-center field gap. Cerda and Robinson came around to score, giving the Aces a 2-0 lead.
Tacoma got on the board in the bottom half of the frame. With one out, Brock Rodden laced a single into right field. The next batter, Ryan Bliss, smacked a single of his own into center field, pushing Rodden up to third. Connor Joe jumped on the first pitch he saw and pounded a single through the middle of the infield. Rodden trotted home to score the Rainiers first run, making it 2-1.
Tacoma entered the bottom of the ninth inning needing one run to send the game to extra innings. Jhonny Pereda lined a leadoff single into shallow left field. Blake Rambusch came into pinch run for Pereda and moved up to third after back-to-back ground outs from Victor Labrada and Colin Davis. The Rainiers failed to score, though, dropping the finale 2-1.
The Rainiers will hit the road next week, travelling to Las Vegas to start a six-game set with the Aviators at the Las Vegas Ballpark. First pitch on Tuesday is scheduled for 7:05 PM.
POSTGAME NOTES:
- RHP Casey Lawrence recorded his 10th quality start of the season Sunday afternoon, the most in the minor leagues…the veteran right-hander tossed 6.1 scoreless innings while allowing four hits and striking out four…it marked Tacoma’s 27th quality start as a staff, also the most in the minor leagues and the most through the team’s first 87 games since the 2018 team had 30…with Sunday’s performance, Lawrence now ranks among franchise leaders in: games started (2nd - 89), strikeouts (6th - 357) and innings pitched (6th - 523.2).
- C Jhonny Pereda singled in the ninth inning on Sunday afternoon to extend his on-base streak to 18 games, finishing 1-for-4…it’s the longest streak by a Rainiers hitter this season and the longest since Rhylan Thomas reached safely in 23 consecutive contests from August 12-September 6, 2025.
- INF Connor Joe recorded his second three-hit game of the season Sunday, finishing 3-for-4 with an RBI…his first three hit game came on May 28 against Las Vegas…through the first five games of July, Joe’s nine hits, 16 total bases, and five runs scored are tied for the most in the PCL, his .474 (9x19) batting average ranks third-best, and his OBP (.500), SLG (.842), and OPS (1.132) all rank fifth.
- Tacoma tallied nine hits in Sunday’s game, their most hits without an extra-base hit this season…it’s their most hits in a game without an extra-base hit since July 4, 2025, when they tallied 11 hits in a 7-6 loss in 11 innings at Salt Lake…it’s the most in a nine-inning game since August 27, 2024, at El Paso.