The Reno Aces’ season came to a disappointing end on Wednesday night, as they fell 5-2 to the Sugar Land Space Cowboys, the Houston Astros’ Triple-A affiliate, in the Pacific Coast League Championship.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!After a lopsided loss in Game 1, Game 2 was more competitive but saw the Aces’ offense struggle once again, resulting in the season-ending defeat.
The Aces fell behind early, with the Space Cowboys striking for two runs in the 1st inning off starting pitcher Humberto Castellanos. The 26-year-old right-hander, who has been with the Diamondbacks organization since 2021 and made seven starts with Arizona this season, surrendered a two-run home run to Pedro Leon before recording an out.
Sugar Land extended their lead in the 3rd inning with solo home runs from Trey Cabbage and Cooper Hummel, pushing Reno into a 4-0 hole.
Offensively, the Aces were once again led by Adrian Del Castillo, who provided the lone spark for the second game in a row. Del Castillo got Reno on the board with a solo home run in the 6th inning, but that was one of just six hits the Aces could muster all night. Blaze Alexander’s struggles continued, as he went 0-for-4 at the plate.
Despite the disappointing finish, the Aces’ season was filled with standout performances, especially from their historically potent offense. Del Castillo was a key contributor all year, blasting 26 home runs. Albert Almora led the league with 152 hits and 45 doubles, while Andres Chaparro (traded to Nationals) ranked third in the PCL with an impressive .564 OPS.
Reno’s offense dominated the Pacific Coast League, leading the league in hits and finishing second in runs scored. Notably, they accomplished this largely without the Diamondbacks’ two top prospects, Jordan Lawlar and Druw Jones, who spent much of the season elsewhere in the organization.
