Tacoma’s Comeback Effort Falls Short in 8-6 Loss 

Tacoma’s Comeback Effort Falls Flat in 8-6 Loss

TACOMA, WA (May 12, 2026) — The Tacoma Rainiers (18-22) fell 8-6 to the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (19-21) in the series opener at Cheney Stadium on Tuesday. Brennen Davis, Victor Labrada, and Brian O’Keefe all turned in multi-hit performances in the contest. Nick Hull and Houston Roth gave Tacoma a chance to mount a comeback by keeping the Space Cowboys off the board in the eighth and ninth innings.

Sugar Land struck first in the top of the first inning when James Nelson (6) drove a solo home run over the right-center field wall with two outs. The solo shot gave the Space Cowboys a 1-0 lead.

Tacoma answered in the home half of the first inning. With one down, Colt Emerson punched a single the opposite way and stole second base with Patrick Wisdom at the plate. Wisdom pulled a double down the left field line and brought Emerson home to score from second, tying the game at one.

Sugar Land reclaimed the lead in the top of the third inning. Jack Winkler smacked a leadoff single into the right-center field gap and advanced to third when Riley Unroe singled off the right field fence. Then, Winkler scored when Kellen Strahm grounded into a 6-4-3 double play, making it 2-1.

Tacoma tied it again in the fourth inning. Brennen Davis (8) left the yard, demolishing the first pitch of the inning over the left field bleachers and into the parking lot. His solo shot traveled 412 feet and tied the game at two.

The Space Cowboys took the lead right back in the top of the fifth inning. With one out, Winkler singled on a soft ground ball to third and moved up to second when Unroe grounded out to short. With two away, Strahm (3) pulled a fly ball over the left field wall for a two-run homer, putting Sugar Land back on top, 4-2.

The Rainiers cut into their deficit in the bottom of the fifth inning. Victor Labrada worked a lead off walk and hustled to third on a Brian O’Keefe bloop single to right field. Two batters later, Emerson reached on a fielder’s choice and brought home Labrada from third to make it 4-3.

Sugar Land broke the game open with a three-run sixth inning. CJ Alexander reached on a fielding error to lead off the inning. After Carlos Pérez struck out, Rhylan Thomas replaced Alexander at first after grounding into a fielder’s choice and advanced to third when Tommy Sacco Jr. pounded a single into center field. With two away, Winkler poked his third single into center, pushing Sacco Jr. up to second and bringing in Thomas to score, making it 5-3. After Sacco Jr. and Winkler moved up to second and third on a wild pitch, Unroe worked a walk to load the bases for Strahm. He singled on a grounder to right and brought home Sacco Jr. and Winkler, extending the Space Cowboys’ lead to four.

Sugar Land continued to pad their lead in the seventh inning when Alexander (10) hit a solo shot over the left-center field wall, making it 8-3.

Nick Hull took the ball in the top of the eighth inning, trying to keep Tacoma within striking distance. He tossed a scoreless frame, allowing one hit and two walks and kept Sugar Land off the board for the first time in three innings.

Tacoma cut the deficit down to two in the eighth inning. With one out, Brennen Davis lined a single into center field for his second hit of the afternoon. Then, Ryan Bliss smoked a double down the left field line. Davis hustled home from first, bringing the Rainiers within four, 8-4. Brock Rodden worked a walk to put runners on first and second for Jhonny Pereda. The Tacoma backstop worked an eight-pitch walk to load the bases with one away. Then, Labrada roped a double into the left-center field gap, scoring Bliss and Rodden to make it a two-run game.

Houston Roth was tasked with keeping the Space Cowboys off the board in the top of the ninth inning. The right-hander tossed a perfect inning, setting down the side in order while striking out one.

Entering the bottom of the ninth inning, the Rainiers need two runs to force extra innings. Tacoma went down in order, falling 8-6 in game one of the homestand.

Tacoma looks to even the series on Wednesday night. RHP Dane Dunning will toe the rubber for the Rainiers. First pitch is set for 6:05 pm.

POSTGAME NOTES:

• OF Brennen Davis turned in his fifth multi-hit performance in his last seven games Tuesday…he finished 2-for-4 with a home run, RBI, walk, and two runs scored…since his first home run on April 17, Davis has the second-most total bases (63) in the PCL and is tied for the second-most most home runs (8), and extra-base hits (17).

• OF Victor Labrada finished 2-for-3 with a double, two RBI, a walk, and a run scored…Labrada has recorded a hit in 17 of his last 21 games…since April 19, he has the third-best batting average (.366) among all Triple-A hitters (min. 85 PA).

• C Jhonny Pereda went 1-for-3 with a single and a walk Tuesday in his first game back with the Rainiers after spending time with Seattle…the backstop finished 1-for-3 with a walk…Pereda is batting .333 (27x81), the best among Triple-A catchers (min. 90 PA) and the fifth-best among all minor league catchers.

• C Brian O’Keefe recorded his sixth multi-hit game of the season Tuesday afternoon, finishing 2-for-4…over his last five games, O’Keefe is hitting .429 (9x21) with four doubles and two home runs.

• INF Ryan Bliss went 1-for-4 with a double, RBI and run on Tuesday, his third straight game with a double…Bliss is the fourth Rainiers hitter to hit a double in three consecutive games, joining Brock Rodden (March 28-31), Brian O’Keefe (April 22-25) and Brennen Davis (April 24-26)...it’s the first time Bliss has doubled in three straight games since doing so in five straight games from June 30-July 5, 2023 with Double-A Amarillo...Bliss also extended his hitting streak to a team-best 10 games, collecting 10 hits in that time, five of which are doubles.