The Las Vegas Aviators mounted a late push Tuesday night but fell 8-6 to the Reno Aces at Greater Nevada Field. With the loss, Las Vegas slipped to 19-19 on the season.
Although the Aviators collected 14 hits and brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth, an early surge by Reno and a rough outing from Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang proved too much to overcome.
Joshua makes an immediate impact
Called up earlier in the day as part of a wave of roster moves across the organization, the infielder made an immediate impact. The Athletics selected outfielder Henry Bolte and infielder Michael Stefanic to the big league roster, optioned Brett Harris to Triple-A, and promoted several players from Double-A Midland, including Jared Dickey, Colby Halter and Joshua Kuroda-Grauer, to Las Vegas.
Kuroda-Grauer wasted no time capitalizing on the opportunity.
In his first game with the Aviators this season, and his first Triple-A appearance since 2024, he went 3-for-5 with a double and scored a run. He had played just four games with Las Vegas two seasons ago. This time, however, he arrived swinging a hot bat after hitting .285 with six home runs, 18 RBIs and an .813 OPS in 33 games at Midland.
In the third inning, he doubled and later scored on a sacrifice fly as Las Vegas briefly grabbed a 2-1 lead.
Early lead evaporates
Junior Perez tied the game with an RBI double in the third, and Brian Serven followed with a sacrifice fly to put Las Vegas ahead.
However, Reno answered immediately. A run-scoring single and a two-run triple flipped the score to 4-2. Then in the fourth, Kristian Robinson launched a three-run homer to left-center, extending the deficit to 7-2. A sacrifice fly later in the inning made it 8-2.
Suddenly, the Aviators were chasing.
Zhuang takes the loss
Zhuang (0-3) allowed eight runs, six earned, on nine hits over four innings. Although he did not issue a walk, Reno squared up multiple pitches, collecting four extra-base hits including a triple and a home run.
As a result, his ERA climbed to 8.66.
To their credit, the bullpen stabilized things. Nick Hernandez delivered two scoreless innings, while Elvis Alvarado and Michael Kelly each added a clean frame to keep the deficit from growing.
Late rally creates pressure
Las Vegas chipped away in the seventh. Joey Meneses singled home a run, and Bryan Lavastida added another RBI knock to trim the margin to 8-4.
Then in the eighth, the Aviators surged again. Cade Marlowe drove in a run with a single, and Serven followed with an RBI knock of his own to make it 8-6.
At that point, momentum shifted.
Colby Halter reached base in the ninth and advanced on a balk, while Jared Dickey worked a walk to bring the tying run aboard. Nevertheless, Reno closer Drey Jameson escaped the jam to secure his fourth save.
Perez finished 3-for-5 with two extra-base hits and an RBI. Kuroda-Grauer added three hits in his season debut, and Serven drove in two. Still, Las Vegas stranded 12 runners and left too many opportunities unfinished.
Up Next
The series continues Wednesday night in Reno. Right-hander Mason Barnett (2-0, 3.07 ERA) is scheduled to start for Las Vegas against Aces left-hander Tommy Henry (0-1, 12.00 ERA).
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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.
