The Las Vegas Aviators saw their five-game winning streak come to an end Tuesday afternoon, falling 11-6 to the Omaha Storm Chasers at Werner Park.
With the loss, Las Vegas drops to 37-26 and now sits two games behind Sacramento in the Pacific Coast League West after the River Cats extended their own winning streak. The Aviators had won eight of their previous 10 games entering the afternoon.
Early trouble sets the tone
Omaha struck first and never trailed.
Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang worked five innings but allowed four runs on eight hits. The Storm Chasers jumped on him early, as Drew Waters and Josh Rojas hit solo home runs in the second inning to build a 3-0 lead.
Matthew Lugo added an RBI single in the fifth to push the advantage to 4-1.
Las Vegas had chances early but could not capitalize. A second-inning rally ended on a double play at the plate, and the Aviators stranded 11 runners overall while going 5-for-14 with runners in scoring position.
Stefanic fuels the comeback
The Aviators finally broke through in the seventh.
After loading the bases with two outs, Michael Stefanic lined a two-run single to right field to give Las Vegas its first lead of the game at 5-4. The three-hit afternoon lifted Stefanic’s season average to .304.
Joshua Kuroda-Grauer added an RBI single in the frame, and Cade Marlowe finished with two hits as Las Vegas briefly seized momentum.
However, the lead was short-lived.
Omaha answers late
The Storm Chasers responded with three runs in the bottom of the seventh against Brady Basso, who took the loss after allowing three runs in two innings of relief.
Omaha then broke the game open in the eighth. Peyton Wilson delivered an RBI double, and Lugo capped the rally with a two-run homer to left-center, extending the lead to 11-5.
James Gonzalez allowed four runs in the eighth as the Storm Chasers finished with 18 hits. Lugo drove in four runs, while Waters and Rojas each homered.
Las Vegas added a run in the ninth on another Stefanic RBI single, but the deficit proved too large.
Bullpen notes
Zhuang’s ERA rose to 7.12 after allowing four earned runs across five innings. Basso fell to 2-2 on the season, and Gonzalez surrendered four runs in one inning of work.
The Aviators’ pitching staff allowed 11 runs on 18 hits, marking one of their toughest outings during this recent stretch.
Up next
The series continues Wednesday night at Werner Park. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. CT, which is 5:05 p.m. PT, as Las Vegas looks to bounce back and keep pace in the division race.
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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.
