The Aviators turned a close game into a decisive win Thursday night, erupting for nine runs in the seventh inning to beat Reno 10-5 at Greater Nevada Field. As a result, Las Vegas improved to 10-6 and claimed its third straight victory. Moreover, the Aviators now hold the edge midway through the six-game series.
Trading zeros in the high desert
Early on, both teams struggled to generate offense. Reno starter Dylan Ray kept Las Vegas quiet through five innings. Meanwhile, Kade Morris matched him pitch for pitch.
Eventually, the Aviators broke through in the sixth. Brett Harris reached base, and Cade Marlowe followed with a two-out triple to left. Consequently, Las Vegas grabbed a 1-0 lead.
However, Reno answered right away. Ryan Waldschmidt doubled to tie the game. Then, aggressive baserunning and timely hits pushed the Aces ahead 4-1 by the end of the inning.
A seventh-inning avalanche
Despite trailing by three, the Aviators responded immediately.
To begin the seventh, Colby Thomas drew a walk. Soon after, Las Vegas loaded the bases. Drew Swift then delivered the turning point, lining a bases-clearing double to right that scored Thomas, Henry Bolte and Junior Perez. Suddenly, the game was tied 4-4.
Next, a wild pitch brought Swift home and gave Las Vegas the lead. In addition, Marlowe lined a two-run double to right to stretch the advantage to 7-4. Serven followed with an RBI double. Meneses added a run-scoring single. Finally, Bolte drove in another run to cap the nine-run frame.
In total, the Aviators sent 13 men to the plate and flipped the game in one inning.
Marlowe and Swift drive the surge
Marlowe finished 2-for-5 with a triple, a double and three RBI. Likewise, Swift drove in three and reached base three times. As a team, Las Vegas went 7-for-11 with runners in scoring position. The Aviators also drew eight walks, which kept constant pressure on Reno’s bullpen.
Bullpen finishes the job
After 5.2 innings from Morris, Eduarniel Núñez entered and earned the win with 1.1 scoreless innings. Later, Nick Hernandez and Tyler Ferguson handled the final frames. Although Reno scored once in the eighth, the outcome was no longer in doubt.
Up next
The Aviators continue the six-game series Friday at 6:05 p.m. PDT at Greater Nevada Field. After that, they will return home next week for a five-game series against Salt Lake.
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Dice City Sports editor Mark Hebert covers the Vegas Golden Knights, Las Vegas Raiders, Athletics, and UNLV baseball and softball. He has 24 years of journalism experience, is also a senior reporter at Exhibit City News, and previously covered the Dallas Stars and Texas Rangers. Follow him on X or connect on LinkedIn.
