The Las Vegas Aviators closed out the series in style Sunday afternoon.
Behind sharp pitching and timely extra-base hits, Las Vegas defeated the Reno Aces 4-2 at Las Vegas Ballpark to secure a 4-2 series victory. The win improved the Aviators to 36-25 and kept them within one game of first-place Sacramento in the Pacific Coast League West.
Hartlieb sets the tone
Right-hander Geoff Hartlieb gave Las Vegas exactly what it needed.
Hartlieb worked 4.1 innings and allowed two runs on three hits. He walked none and struck out four while keeping Reno off balance with steady command. The only damage came in the fifth inning when Christian Cerda delivered a two-run double.
Until that point, Hartlieb had cruised. He retired 10 of the first 11 batters he faced and kept the Aces quiet early while the offense built a lead.
Krook earns first win with Las Vegas
When Reno threatened in the fifth, Matt Krook entered with two runners aboard and one out.
Although both inherited runners eventually scored on Cerda’s double, Krook limited the damage and prevented the inning from unraveling. More importantly, he settled in from there.
The left-hander worked 1.2 scoreless innings overall, allowing just one hit while striking out four. As a result, he picked up his first victory as an Aviator and improved to 1-2 with a 4.13 ERA.
Wander Suero followed with a clean seventh inning, inducing a key double play. Ben Bowden handled the eighth with two strikeouts.
Muncy delivers the knockout
Las Vegas struck first in the opening inning.
Jacob Wilson led off with a double, and Joshua Kuroda-Grauer followed with an RBI single to make it 1-0.
The Aviators added two more in the third. Joey Meneses ripped an RBI double to left, and Cade Marlowe followed with a run-scoring double of his own to stretch the lead to 3-0.
After Reno cut it to 3-2 in the fifth, Max Muncy provided breathing room.
With two outs in the seventh inning, Muncy crushed a solo homer to left-center. The drive left his bat at 110 mph and traveled 447 feet, pushing the lead to 4-2.
That swing proved decisive.
Las Vegas finished with six hits and went 3-for-6 with runners in scoring position. Meanwhile, the bullpen struck out nine over the final 4.2 innings.
Kelly closes it out
Michael Kelly worked a clean ninth to earn his fourth save of the season.
He allowed one hit but struck out two, finishing off a Reno lineup that struck out 13 times in the game.
With the victory, the Aviators secured their fourth series win in their last five matchups and remained firmly in the PCL West race.
Reno fell to 28-35.
Up next
Las Vegas now hits the road for a six-game series against the Omaha Storm Chasers, the Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals.
The series opens Tuesday at Werner Park in Papillion, Nebraska. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. PT. Probable pitchers have not yet been announced.
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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.
