Reno Aces vs Sacramento River Cats

The Reno Aces pounded out 14 hits and routed the Sacramento River Cats 12-2 at Greater Nevada Field on Saturday night, taking the series opener behind five scoreless innings of relief from Tommy Henry and two home runs that erased any doubt by the fifth inning.

The win snapped a four-game losing streak for Reno (58-72) and kept Sacramento (73-55) from extending its lead in the Pacific Coast League West, where the River Cats entered the night atop the division.

The game opened with a marquee attraction: four-time MLB All-Star and 2021 NL Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes, on a rehab assignment with the Aces, worked two perfect innings. Burnes needed just 17 pitches — 10 strikes — to retire all six River Cats he faced, inducing four groundouts and a flyout.

Reno's offence backed him immediately. In the bottom of the second, the Aces sent eight men to the plate against Sacramento starter Will Bednar. Gavin Conticello doubled home the first run, Demetrio Crisantes singled in another, and a throwing error by River Cats third baseman Thomas Gavello allowed two more to score, making it 4-0.

Pavin Smith went deep in the third inning, crushing a two-run homer to left-centre off Samir Chires — his fifth of the season — to stretch the lead to 6-0.

The knockout blow landed in the fifth. Ryan Slater, the third River Cats pitcher of the night, loaded the bases with no outs on a single, a walk and a hit-by-pitch. Adrian Del Castillo then launched a grand slam to left field, the catcher's fifth home run of the season, pushing the margin to 10-0.

Reno added one in the sixth on a Conticello RBI single and an eighth-inning run-scoring groundout from Anderdson Rojas, who finished with two RBIs.

Sacramento's only offence came in the top of the eighth. Aeverson Arteaga roped a two-run triple off Bryce Jarvis to score Thomas Gavello (hit by pitch) and Zach Morgan (walk), cutting the deficit to 12-2. That was as close as the River Cats got; Isaiah Campbell closed the door with a 1-2-3 ninth.

The game swung decisively in the fifth when Del Castillo stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and one out. Slater had walked Tommy Troy, surrendered a single to Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and hit Gavello with a pitch to load them up. Del Castillo worked the count to 3-1 before crushing a fastball well beyond the left-field wall, turning a 6-0 lead into a 10-0 blowout.

Tommy Henry (W, 5-7) — Pitching in relief after Burnes's brief rehab outing, Henry delivered one of his finest appearances of the season. Over five innings, he allowed just two hits and no walks while striking out four, throwing 43 of 63 pitches for strikes. It was Henry's first scoreless appearance of any length since June and lowered his ERA from 6.84 to 6.50.

Gavin Conticello — The outfield prospect went 4-for-5 with a double, three RBIs and two runs scored, raising his average to .305 in 30 games. His second-inning double got the scoring started, and he added an RBI single in the sixth.

Adrian Del Castillo — Went 1-for-3 with the grand slam and two walks, driving in four runs. His OPS at Triple-A now sits at 1.021 through 22 games.

Demetrio Crisantes — The infielder collected three hits in five at-bats, scoring three times and driving in a run.

Corbin Burnes — The Diamondbacks ace's rehab outing was efficient: two perfect innings on 17 pitches, with four groundouts. No strikeouts, but also no hard contact.

Will Bednar (L, 2-2) — The River Cats starter struggled with command, allowing four earned runs on three hits and two walks over two innings.

Reno's 14 hits to Sacramento's three tells the story of complete offensive and pitching dominance. The Aces went 6-for-16 with runners in scoring position and drew six walks, while the River Cats managed just 1-for-4 with RISP. Reno's two home runs — Smith's two-run shot and Del Castillo's grand slam — accounted for six of the 12 runs.

Sacramento's pitching staff walked six, hit one batter and allowed two homers across eight innings. The River Cats committed two errors (Gavello throwing, Brennan throwing) that contributed to unearned runs.

On the mound, Reno's quartet of Burnes, Henry, Jarvis and Campbell combined to strike out seven while walking just two. Henry's 9:2 groundout-to-flyout ratio reflected his constant attack in the zone.

The win keeps Reno (58-72) from falling further adrift in the PCL West, though the Aces remain in last place in the division. Sacramento (73-55) saw its lead atop the division trimmed but still holds a comfortable margin in the playoff race with 16 games remaining in the regular season.

For the Diamondbacks organisation, Burnes's rehab outing was the biggest development: he threw only 17 pitches but emerged healthy, suggesting he could rejoin Arizona's rotation soon. Henry's strong multi-inning relief performance also provides depth options.

The two teams meet again on Sunday (30 August) at Greater Nevada Field for game two of the series. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 PM PT.

A straightforward blowout — the Aces pitched well, hit often and never trailed. Burnes's rehab was the headline, but Henry's five shutout innings and Del Castillo's grand slam erased any competitive tension by the middle of the game. Sacramento's three-hit night was far below its season average, and the bullpen could not contain Reno's lineup after Bednar's early exit.