Robinson Leadoff Homers Again for Reno but Sugar Land Snatches Win

SUGAR LAND, Tex. – The Reno Aces homered with their first batter of the game for a second consecutive contest, but the Sugar Land Space Cowboys recovered with a pair of runs in their first three sets of at-bats en route to a 9-2 defeat for Reno on Saturday.

Once again it was Kristian Robinson doing the damage for the Aces (29-32/61-75), taking the very first pitch of the game deep over the wall in left center field. That marked the seventh Reno leadoff dinger of the year, but the first time that it has happened in consecutive games. Four of those big flies have come from Robinson which ties him for most in a season in team history along with Alek Thomas from the 2021 campaign.

Even further, that blast gives Robinson the most leadoff home runs in the PCL this season, moving him past the pair of Zac Veen (Albuquerque) and Cavan Biggio (Sugar Land). This was the second time in those four leadoff blasts that Robinson homered on the very first pitch of the game, first doing so on May 23 at Oklahoma City leading to a 2-1 victory.

Unfortunately for the Aces, the Space Cowboys (38-24/70-66) were ready to respond by scoring twice with each of their first three sets of swings. Reno did add one more in the fourth when Gavin Conticello singled to left allowing Jose Fernandez to score, however Sugar Land matched it in the seventh and added most insurance with back-to-back homers in the eighth.

Reno starter Tommy Henry (5-8) was charged the loss after allowing six runs on six hits, two of which were homers, while striking out three with one walk.

Outside of Robinson’s homer and Conticello’s RBI single the Aces had just one other hit, a two-out single from Adrian Del Castillo in the top of the eighth that was left aboard at first.

The Aces will have won final chance to win the series outright when they meet the Space Cowboys in the series finale on Sunday at 4:35 p.m. PT.