The Las Vegas Aviators extended their winning streak to six games Saturday night, defeating the Tacoma Rainiers 6-3 at Cheney Stadium.
With the win, Las Vegas improved to 31-23 and moved within one game of Sacramento in the Pacific Coast League West first-half race. Meanwhile, the Aviators have won eight of their last nine games, and they continue to build momentum as May winds down.
As a result, Tacoma dropped to 23-33.
Muncy Delivers in Rehab Assignment
Max Muncy, on a rehab assignment, sparked the offense early. In the third inning, the Athletics infielder crushed a two-run home run to give Las Vegas a 2-0 lead. The ball left his bat at 108.2 mph and traveled 399 feet to left-center.
He followed with an RBI single in the fifth, finishing 2-for-3 with three RBIs before the Aviators lifted him for a pinch hitter in the seventh.
Meanwhile, Joey Meneses added two hits and drove in two runs, including a two-run single in the eighth that pushed the lead to 6-1.
Zhuang Earns First Triple-A Win
Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang earned his first Triple-A victory, improving to 1-3 with Las Vegas this season.
After Braden Nett opened the game, Zhuang took over and delivered three solid innings in relief. He allowed one run on one hit, struck out three, and walked one. However, Brian O’Keefe tagged him for a solo home run in the fourth.
Earlier this week, the organization promoted the right-hander from Double-A Midland, where he went 2-1 with a 2.74 ERA across 23.0 innings.
Defense Holds the Line
Las Vegas made several key defensive plays to preserve momentum.
In the first inning, Drew Swift started a heads-up sequence that cut down Leo Rivas at the plate on a fielder’s choice, preventing an early Tacoma run. Later, Bryan Lavastida popped up Spencer Packard in foul territory with a runner at third to escape the fifth inning unscathed.
The Aviators also turned a sharp double play in the ninth when Swift and Joshua Kuroda-Grauer combined to erase Spencer Packard at second on Connor Joe’s ground ball.
Rocky Ninth, Alvarado Closes
Tacoma mounted a late rally in the ninth. Matt Krook loaded the bases on a single, two hit batters, and a walk. The Rainiers scored twice and brought the tying run to the plate.
Elvis Alvarado entered and struck out Brian O’Keefe to secure his third save of the season.
Tacoma went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left 12 men on base.
Up Next
The series finale is scheduled for Sunday at Cheney Stadium.
First pitch is set for 4:35 p.m. EDT. Las Vegas has not announced a starter. Tacoma is expected to start right-hander Casey Lawrence (3-3, 4.06 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.
