Opening Day for the 2026 baseball season seemed to be heading in the right direction after a four-run sixth for the Reno Aces, but a late three-run rally in the top of the eighth pushed the Tacoma Rainiers over the Aces by a 7-6 final on Friday.

Taking the field in front of 6,055 fans at Greater Nevada Field, the largest home Opening Day crowd since 2016, the Aces were the first to reach the scoreboard in the home half of the first. A pair of singles from Tommy Troy and LuJames Groover set up new Ace Luken Baker, who delivered in his first Reno at-bat with a double down the left-field line.

Though the Rainiers jumped out in front on a two-run blast in the top of the third from Colton Emerson, a home run that traveled 408 feet, the Aces snatched some momentum back and knotted the contest in the bottom of the frame thanks to an A.J. Vukovich single into right center. Scoring on the play was Troy, who had reached earlier in the inning on a single into shallow left. Troy’s two tallies marked the 24th time in franchise history that an Ace has scored multiple runs on Opening Day.

The game’s seesaw nature continued in the top of the fourth when Patrick Wisdom kicked off the new frame with a solo homer to left-center field. That score held until the top of the sixth when Tacoma doubled their lead, pushing their lead to 4-2 after an Emerson single came around to score on a liner into center by Wisdom.

Reno struck big in the bottom of the inning, plating four runs on three hits that started with a Vukovich double to right field. A hit batsman and a walk loaded the bases for Arizona’s top prospect Ryan Waldschmidt, who was able to work his second walk of the contest while collecting his first RBI in his Triple-A debut. Following was a Troy single that never left the infield but gave Tacoma no chances, while LuJames Groover also earned his first Triple-A RBI in his debut thanks to a two-run single into the left-center gap.

Unfortunately for the Aces, that lead was short-lived as three hits and an error turned into a trio of Tacoma runs that swung the contest in their favor. A double, walk and catcher’s interference loaded the bases, with all three runners eventually scoring on a sacrifice fly, and a Colin Davis two-RBI single.

Charged with the loss for the Aces was Philip Abner, who surrendered three runs (two earned) on one hit with one walk and one strikeout. Opening Day starter Kohl Drake was solid, allowing three runs on three hits in four frames. Drake punched out six Rainiers hitters which were the most by an Aces pitcher on Opening Day since Ryne Nelson also had six strikeouts in three innings in a 3-2 loss to Las Vegas on April 5, 2022.

Two Reno hurlers ended their day with scoreless marks, as Juan Burgos tossed a clean seventh while Isaiah Campbell worked the final 1.1 innings and surrendered three hits while striking out three.

Reno will look to get into the win column for the first time in 2026 when these two teams take Greater Nevada Field once more on Saturday at 4:05 p.m. PT.Â