The Las Vegas Aviators turned Saturday night into something that looked more like a low-scoring Vegas Knight Hawks indoor football game.
Las Vegas erupted for 21 runs on 19 hits and 10 walks in a 21-10 win over the Reno Aces at Las Vegas Ballpark. Early on, the Aviators fell into a 5-0 hole in the first inning. However, they responded immediately. They scored five runs in each of the first three innings. Then they added four more in the fourth to take complete control.
Five-run frames flip the script
Reno struck quickly against left-hander Wei-En Lin, who lasted just two-thirds of an inning. In the opening frame, the Aces pushed across five runs. The rally was highlighted by Andrew Velazquez’s bases-clearing triple.
Las Vegas answered right away.
First, the Aviators plated five runs in the bottom of the first. Bryan Lavastida delivered a two-run single. Later in the inning, Jacob Wilson drew a bases-loaded walk to tie the game.
Then came another five-run outburst in the second. Brayan Buelvas punctuated that surge with a three-run homer. After that, Las Vegas broke it open in the third.
Jared Dickey ignited the inning with a two-run double. Moments later, Lavastida launched a three-run homer to left-center. As a result, the Aviators built a 15-5 lead.
They were not done.
Las Vegas added four more runs in the fourth inning and stretched the margin to 19-5. Eventually, Max Muncy capped the offensive barrage with a two-run homer in the sixth.
Overall, the Aviators went 12-for-19 with runners in scoring position. They left only nine men on base.
Lavastida’s breakout night
Lavastida delivered his best performance of the season. He went 4-for-6 with six RBIs. Entering the night, the catcher had not driven in a run in his previous five games. In fact, he totaled just eight RBIs in May.
On Saturday, he produced in four different innings. He drove in runs in the first, second, third and fourth. His three-run homer in the third effectively put the game out of reach.
Meanwhile, Buelvas added four RBIs. Dickey drove in four as well. As a result, Las Vegas improved to 35-25 with contributions throughout the lineup.
Basso steadies, Gonzalez finishes
After Lin’s early exit, Brady Basso stabilized the game. The left-hander worked 3.1 scoreless innings in relief to earn the win. He improved to 2-1 on the season. Notably, he was the only Las Vegas pitcher who did not allow a run.
Nick Hernandez later surrendered three runs over 2.0 innings. After that, James Gonzalez took over.
Gonzalez covered the final 3.0 innings to record his first save of the season. It was only the third save of his seven-year minor league career. Although he allowed two runs, he comfortably closed out the victory.
Ultimately, Reno fell to 28-34 with the loss.
Up next
The Aviators have now won three straight after dropping the first two games of the series to Reno. Therefore, they have secured at least a split heading into Sunday’s finale.
The series concludes Sunday afternoon at Las Vegas Ballpark. Reno is scheduled to start right-hander J. Cabrera (1-0, 7.20 ERA). Meanwhile, Las Vegas is expected to counter with right-hander Geoff Hartlieb (2-0, 4.24 ERA, 31 strikeouts). First pitch is set for 12:05 p.m. PT.
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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.
