Cooper Hummel’s cycle leads Reno past Sacramento 9-6

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Cooper Hummel led the Reno Aces to a 9-6 win over the Sacramento River Cats, hitting for the cycle in just his second game with Reno. Hummel finished the night with four hits, two runs and two RBIs.

The Aces bats got going early, scoring five in the first inning to jump out to the early lead. Nick Heath drew a leadoff walk, before Cooper Hummel hit a no-doubt home run in his first at bat with the Aces.

After that, the bases filled up behind Seth Beer getting hit by a pitch, Henry Ramos singling and Jamie Ritchie walking. With the bases loaded, Juniel Querecuto tripled and drove them all in and make it a 5-0 ballgame.

The triple gave Querecuto his fourth game of the year with three or more RBIs. In the previous three, Reno went 3-0.

Sacramento answered with runs in the second and third, cutting it to 5-2.

Then in the top of the fourth, Heath scored again. This time, Heath tripled to deep right-center field, and rounded third to score on a throwing error from Heliot Ramos in center field. The little-league homer made it 6-2 Reno heading into the home half of the fourth. Hummel would reach on a triple later in the inning, after recording a single in the second to put him a double away from the cycle.

Sacramento scored in the bottom of the fourth to make it 6-3.

In the fifth, the Aces would add another run behind a Henry Ramos solo shot to make it 7-3

The River Cats picked up another in the bottom of the fifth to make it a 7-4 ballgame.

Cooper Hummel would complete the cycle in the top of the sixth, driving a double to become the first Ace to hit a single, double, triple and homer in one game since Matt Szczur did it in 2019. Hummel came around to score on a Ramos single, making it an 8-4 Aces lead.

Sacramento again countered, scoring two in the sixth to make it 8-6 and keep the River Cats within striking distance.

The seventh inning saw neither side score, the first such inning in the game. But the Aces would add an insurance run in the eighth, as Ritchie singled in Heath to make it 9-6 Reno. The run was Heath’s third of the game.

The Aces bullpen held Sacramento scoreless for the final two frames, with Brandyn Sittinger and Keegan Curtis allowing just one run in two scoreless innings. Curtis earned the save, his first as an Ace with a perfect ninth.

The six-game series continues tomorrow, with the lone day game of the series. First pitch from Sutter Health Park is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. PT. The game can be heard on KPLY 630 AM or RenoAces.com with Zack Bayrouty on the call.