Rainiers Win Fifth Consecutive Opening Day Game, Beat Aces 7-6

March 27, 2026

RENO, NV (March 27, 2026) – Colt Emerson and Patrick Wisdom each hit home runs as the Tacoma Rainiers won their fifth consecutive Opening Day game, beating Reno 7-6 on Friday afternoon at Greater Nevada Field. Tacoma’s bullpen locked down the victory as Blas Castaño, Robinson Ortiz and Alex Hoppe

The Reno bats shook off the rust early as they started the scoring in the bottom of the first inning. CF Ryan Waldschmidt worked a leadoff walk but LHP Jhonathan Díaz picked off the Florida native a few pitches later. 2B Tommy Troy immediately replaced Waldschmidt at first, flaring the first hit of the ballgame into shallow center field. 3B LuJames Groover moved Troy over to second by beating out an infield single that did not pass third base. With runners on first and second, 1B Luken Baker pulled a 3-2 sinker into the left field corner, bringing Troy around to score from second, giving the Aces a 1-0 lead.

Tacoma fired back in the top of the third. CF Rhylan Thomas, who led the minor leagues with 178 hits in 2025, picked up right where he left off, recording the first Rainier hit of 2026 with a single up the middle. Two batters later, SS Colt Emerson crushed a curveball 408 ft over the towering wall in left-center field. He is the youngest Rainier to homer on Opening Day in the last 20 years. The two-run shot gave Tacoma their first lead of the ballgame at 2-1.

The Aces answered immediately in the bottom half of the inning. Tommy Troy picked up his second single of the afternoon, beating out a bouncing ball to third. Luken Baker joined Troy in the multi-hit club, flaring another full-count pitch into left for a single. Troy moved up to third on the hit and with runners on the corners, LF A.J. Vukovich lined a single into center field. Troy trotted home from third, knotting the game up at two apiece. RHP Troy Taylor was called upon to stop the bleeding for the Rainiers, striking out RF Kristian Robinson on three pitches, ending the third frame all square.

Tacoma retook the lead immediately as DH Patrick Wisdom walloped the first pitch of the fourth inning 439 feet over the center field wall, giving the lead back to Tacoma, 3-2. It marks the fourth time in the last six years the Rainiers have hit multiple home runs on Opening Day.

Tacoma extended their lead in the top of the sixth. Colt Emerson lined a single into shallow right for his second hit of the ballgame. He got into scoring position for Patrick Wisdom on a wild pitch. Two pitches later, Wisdom recorded his second hit of the game with a single of his own. Emerson rounded third and scored without a throw, making it 4-2 Rainiers.

Reno found an immediate answer in the latter half of the inning. Vukovich led off the inning with a double off the right-field wall. He moved over to third on Robinson line-out to center field. The next batter, C Aramis Garcia, was hit by a sinker to put runners on the corners. With two outs, SS Jean Walters worked an eight-pitch walk to load the bases for Ryan Waldschmidt. The 2024 first-round draft pick worked his second walk of the day to bring the Aces within a run. The next at-bat, Tommy Troy picked up his third hit of the contest with another infield single to the left side of the diamond, bringing home Garcia to tie the game at four. LuJames Groover recorded the third-straight, two-out hit of the inning by pounding a 1-2 pitch through the left side of the infield for a single. Walters and Waldschmidt crossed the plate without a throw to give the lead back to Reno, 6-4.

Tacoma regained the lead in the top of the eighth, marking the fifth lead change of the ballgame. 1B Connor Joe jumpstarted the Rainier offense, lining a double into the left field corner. The next at-bat, Wisdom drew a five-pitch walk and then C Jhonny Pereda got awarded first base due to catcher’s interference. With the bases loaded, LF Spencer Packard hit a sac-fly that brought home Joe from third and advanced the rest of the runners, cutting the Aces’ lead to one. With two outs and runners on second and third, RF Colin Davis dropped a single into shallow right, bringing home Wisdom and Pereda to reclaim the lead for Tacoma, 7-6.

The Aces entered the final frame chasing one run to stay alive. Groover led off the home half of the ninth by lining a single into right. That was all the Reno offense could muster as RHP Alex Hoppe struck out two of the next three batters, earning his first save of the season. The Rainiers secured their fifth consecutive Opening Day victory with 7-6 win at Greater Nevada Field.

Tacoma looks to secure a series victory tomorrow afternoon. The Rainiers will send RHP Casey Lawrence to the mound and Reno will counter with RHP Dylan Ray for the second game of the season. First pitch is set for 4:05 pm.

Post-Game Notes:

The 7-6 victory over Reno this afternoon marks the Rainiers’ fifth consecutive Opening Day victory, starting with a win against Salt Lake in 2022…the streak ties El Paso for the longest active Opening Day win streak in the Pacific Coast League (El Paso has yet to play today).

SS Colt Emerson became the youngest Rainier to homer on Opening Day in at least the last 21 years…the Mariners’ top prospect finished 2-for-5 with a home run, two RBI, and two walks…Emerson became the fifth Triple-A player since 2005 to homer before turning 21, joining Prince Fielder (2005), Billy Butler (2007), Luis Garcia Jr. (2021), and Jackson Holiday (2024)…since getting called up to the Rainiers on September 16 last year, he has recorded three home runs in his first seven games at Triple-A.

DH Patrick Wisdom smacked the second home run of the Tacoma season…the 2012 first-round draft pick finished 2-for-3 with a home run, a pair of RBI, runs, and walks…the homer was the second time Wisdom has gone yard on Opening Day in his career (also: April 6, 2017 at New Orleans)

CF Rhylan Thomas recorded his first multi-hit performance Friday afternoon…he finished 2-for-5 with a pair of singles and a run…last year, the University of Southern California product recorded a team-leading 57 multi-hit games.