Joey Meneses delivered the biggest swing of the night, lining a two-run walk-off double in the bottom of the 10th inning to lift the Las Vegas Aviators to an 11-10 win over the Reno Aces on Friday night at Las Vegas Ballpark.
The clubs combined for 30 hits and 21 runs in a back-and-forth contest that featured multiple lead changes and late-inning drama before Meneses ended it with two outs.
Meneses finishes it off
Trailing 10-9 entering the bottom of the 10th, Las Vegas mounted one final rally.
After two quick outs, Joshua Kuroda-Grauer worked a walk on an overturned ABS challenge and Drew Swift followed with another free pass to put two aboard. Meneses then jumped on a 1-2 pitch from Yilber Díaz and ripped a line drive into left field. Brayan Buelvas and Kuroda-Grauer both scored easily as the Aviators poured out of the dugout to celebrate the walk-off win.
Meneses finished 3-for-6 with four RBIs, including two two-out RBIs earlier in the game. His 15th double of the season capped a night in which Las Vegas erased deficits of 5-0 and 10-9.
Wild start, big response
Reno struck immediately against opener Braden Nett. Tim Tawa launched a two-run homer in the first, and the Aces pushed across five runs in the inning to seize early control.
Las Vegas answered in the second when Brayan Buelvas lined a two-run double, and the Aviators exploded for five runs in the third to take a 7-5 lead. Meneses started the rally with a two-run single, and Tommy White and Brian Serven followed with RBI knocks.
Max Muncy extended the lead to 9-6 with a two-run double in the fifth, but Reno refused to go away. Andrew Velazquez’s inside-the-park home run in the seventh and a wild pitch in the same inning trimmed the margin. Tawa tied the game at 9-9 with a two-out RBI single in the ninth.
In the 10th, Luis Urías doubled home the go-ahead run to put Reno back in front before Las Vegas answered in the bottom half.
Pelham perfect again
Right-hander CD Pelham earned his second win of the season after striking out the lone batter he faced in the top of the 10th inning, stranding two inherited runners to keep the deficit at one.
Since being called up, Pelham has not allowed a run in four appearances. In June, he has thrown 1.2 scoreless innings across two outings with two walks and one strikeout.
Nick Hernandez also contributed 2.0 scoreless innings in relief earlier in the game to stabilize things after Reno’s fast start.
Las Vegas improved to 34-25 with the win, while Reno fell to 28-33.
Up next
The series continues Saturday night at Las Vegas Ballpark. Reno is scheduled to start left-hander Wei-En Lin (0-0), while the Aviators have yet to announce a starter. First pitch is set for 10:05 p.m. EDT.
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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.
