The Arizona Diamondbacks were six outs away from securing another tight victory over the Colorado Rockies Friday night at Chase Field. Instead, late-game execution issues, missed offensive opportunities, and a ninth-inning rally by Colorado turned what looked like a promising night into a frustrating 3-2 loss for Arizona in front of 29,945 fans in downtown Phoenix.

The loss evened the emotional momentum of the four-game series after Arizona captured a 2-1 victory in Game 1. It also dropped the Diamondbacks to 26-24 on the season while Colorado improved to 21-30.

With the roof open and temperatures sitting around 95 degrees at first pitch, the atmosphere at Chase Field felt like midsummer baseball. The game moved quickly early as both starting pitchers settled in immediately and controlled the pace through the opening innings.

Arizona right-hander Michael Soroka continued his strong season with another effective outing. Entering the game with a 6-2 record and a 3.49 ERA, Soroka kept Colorado off balance through six innings and consistently worked out of trouble when needed. On the other side, Colorado starter Tomoyuki Sugano matched him inning for inning for much of the night.

The Rockies opened the game quietly against Soroka. Jake McCarthy grounded out to shortstop to begin the night before Hunter Goodman flew out to the warning track in left field. TJ Rumfield then grounded out to second base to complete a quick top of the first inning. Soroka looked sharp immediately, locating his pitches well and forcing weak contact.

Arizona’s offense was equally quiet in the bottom half of the inning. Ketel Marte flew out to left field, Corbin Carroll struck out swinging, and Geraldo Perdomo lined out to right. Through one inning, neither team had generated much offensive momentum.

The Rockies threatened slightly in the second inning when Willi Castro blooped a single into center field with two outs, but Soroka quickly ended the inning by getting Ezequiel Tovar to ground out to shortstop. Arizona then capitalized on its first real scoring opportunity in the bottom half of the frame.

Nolan Arenado jumpstarted the inning with a double into the left-center field gap. After Ildemaro Vargas lifted a fly ball to right that allowed Arenado to tag and move to third base, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. delivered the game’s first run with a sacrifice fly to center field. Arenado scored easily, giving Arizona a 1-0 lead. Gabriel Moreno followed with a fly out to center, but the Diamondbacks had grabbed early control.

Soroka continued cruising in the third inning. Sterlin Thompson popped out to left field, Chad Stevens lined out sharply to left, and Jake McCarthy flew out to center to complete another efficient inning for the Arizona starter.

Arizona nearly added to its lead in the bottom of the third. Adrian Del Castillo and Ryan Waldschmidt were retired to begin the inning, but Ketel Marte kept the offense alive with a double to right field. Corbin Carroll, however, flew out to right to strand Marte in scoring position.

Colorado threatened again in the fourth after Hunter Goodman singled and later stole second base. But Soroka remained composed, getting TJ Rumfield to pop out and Tyler Freeman to ground out before Troy Johnston grounded weakly to first base to end the inning. Soroka repeatedly minimized damage throughout the night, something Arizona desperately needed as runs remained hard to come by offensively.

The Diamondbacks extended their lead in the bottom of the fourth inning thanks to another timely hit from Gurriel Jr. Geraldo Perdomo worked a leadoff walk before Arenado popped out. Vargas then grounded out to second base, moving Perdomo into scoring position. Gurriel Jr. followed by lining an RBI single into left field, scoring Perdomo and extending Arizona’s lead to 2-0. Gurriel advanced to second on the throw, but Moreno grounded out to the pitcher to end the inning.

Colorado finally broke through in the fifth inning, and it briefly appeared the inning could become much worse for Arizona. Willi Castro singled to right field to begin the frame before Tovar reached on a single that deflected off the glove of a diving shortstop. Sterlin Thompson was then hit by a pitch, loading the bases with nobody out and putting enormous pressure on Soroka.

Instead of unraveling, Arizona’s starter limited the damage. Chad Stevens struck out swinging for the inning’s first out. Jake McCarthy then lifted a sacrifice fly to right field, allowing Castro to score and cutting Arizona’s lead to 2-1. Hunter Goodman grounded out to the catcher to end the inning, allowing the Diamondbacks to escape with the lead still intact.

Arizona missed another opportunity to add insurance runs in the bottom of the fifth. Ryan Waldschmidt singled and later stole second base before Carroll reached on a ground-ball single. But with runners on base, Perdomo lined out to right field to end the inning and preserve the one-run margin.

One of the biggest moments of the night came defensively in the sixth inning. TJ Rumfield lifted a ball into shallow left field that Lourdes Gurriel Jr. tracked down with a sliding catch. While the play saved a potential baserunner, Gurriel appeared to injure himself during the catch. Trainers came onto the field as Gurriel remained down briefly before eventually walking off under his own power. He exited the game with left hamstring tightness. Jorge Barrosa entered the game, while Ryan Waldschmidt shifted from center field to left.

Arizona’s bullpen took over in the seventh inning, beginning with Taylor Clarke. Colorado threatened after Tovar singled and Chad Stevens walked, but the Diamondbacks escaped thanks to another outstanding defensive play by Waldschmidt. Sterlin Thompson drove a deep fly ball toward the bullpen wall in left-center field, but Waldschmidt raced over and made a spectacular running catch while crashing near the wall. Brandyn Garcia later entered and induced a groundout from Jake McCarthy to end the inning.

The turning point arrived in the eighth inning.

Juan Morillo entered for Arizona and immediately ran into trouble after walking Hunter Goodman. A passed ball moved Goodman into scoring position before TJ Rumfield ripped a double down the right-field line, scoring Goodman easily and tying the game at 2-2. Arizona turned to Ryan Thompson later in the inning, and he prevented additional damage by retiring the next hitters.

The Diamondbacks had a prime opportunity to respond in the bottom of the eighth. Corbin Carroll led off with a single and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Perdomo. Colorado then intentionally or unintentionally created tension by bringing in Antonio Senzatela to face Arenado, who was hit by a pitch. With two runners aboard and only one out, Chase Field came alive expecting Arizona to reclaim the lead.

Instead, Vargas grounded into an inning-ending double play, abruptly killing the rally and shifting momentum firmly toward Colorado.

Colorado took advantage immediately in the ninth inning.

Sterlin Thompson opened the inning with a double to center field against Ryan Thompson. Chad Stevens followed with a line-drive RBI single into right field, scoring Thompson and giving the Rockies their first lead of the game at 3-2.

Hunter Goodman later added a single and stole second base, but Arizona prevented further damage when Kyle Karros struck out swinging.

Arizona’s final chance in the bottom of the ninth never materialized.

Pinch hitter Jose Fernandez flew out to center field to begin the inning. Gabriel Moreno then grounded out to third base before Adrian Del Castillo popped out to second base, ending the game and completing Colorado’s comeback victory.

Antonio Senzatela earned the victory out of the bullpen and improved to 4-0 on the season, while Ryan Thompson was charged with his first loss, dropping to 2-1. Colorado finished the night with three runs on nine hits, while Arizona managed two runs on seven hits. Neither team committed an error.

Despite the loss, Arizona received encouraging performances from several players. Gurriel Jr. drove in both Diamondbacks runs before leaving with injury, Soroka delivered another quality outing, and Waldschmidt provided impressive defense and energy throughout the game.

Still, the Diamondbacks were left frustrated after allowing another late lead to disappear in a tightly contested division matchup.

Arizona will attempt to bounce back Saturday night in Game 3 of the series when Zac Gallen takes the mound against Colorado’s Michael Lorenzen. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 PM at Chase Field.