The Las Vegas Aviators needed 11 innings, 15 hits and another late rally Sunday afternoon.
They also left Omaha atop the Pacific Coast League West standings.
Las Vegas scored five runs in the 11th inning and defeated the Omaha Storm Chasers 12-7 at Werner Park, securing a 4-2 series victory and improving to 40-27 on the season.
The win moved the Aviators a half-game ahead in the PCL West after Sacramento’s game against Albuquerque was postponed by weather.
Jumping out early
The Aviators wasted little time getting on the board.
Joshua Kuroda-Grauer opened the game with a double and later scored on Brett Harris’ RBI single. Joey Meneses followed with a double before Cade Marlowe added a sacrifice fly and Brian Serven drove in another run with a single to give Las Vegas a 3-0 lead in the first inning.
Omaha answered quickly when Matthew Lugo launched a two-run homer off Aviators starter Yunior Tur in the bottom half, trimming the deficit to 3-2.
Las Vegas responded again in the fourth.
Jared Dickey tripled and scored on Kuroda-Grauer’s sacrifice fly before Meneses ripped a two-run double to left field, extending the lead to 6-2.
Storm Chasers answer back
Tur settled in after the opening inning and delivered a strong outing, allowing three runs on four hits while striking out seven over five innings.
Omaha chipped away in the fifth when Gavin Cross stole second and third before scoring on Connor Kaiser’s groundout.
The Storm Chasers pulled within one in the seventh after a Las Vegas error helped extend the inning. Josh Rojas followed with a two-run single to right field, cutting the Aviators’ lead to 6-5.
Matt Krook entered and stranded the tying run, but Omaha eventually broke through in the ninth.
After Drew Waters walked and advanced on a sacrifice bunt, Elih Marrero lined a game-tying RBI double to center field. Krook recorded two outs before Wander Suero entered and struck out Peyton Wilson to send the game to extra innings.
Another night, another extra-inning escape
For the second consecutive night, the Aviators found a way in extras.
Drew Swift, serving as the automatic runner in the 10th, moved to third on a groundout before scoring on Michael Stefanic’s RBI double to give Las Vegas a 7-6 advantage.
The lead was short-lived.
Lugo delivered again in the bottom of the inning with an RBI single that scored Wilson and tied the game at 7-7. The inning ended moments later when the Aviators turned an inning-ending double play.
Las Vegas finally broke through in the 11th.
After Kuroda-Grauer singled with one out, Darell Hernaiz reached on a fielder’s choice that turned into a two-run error by second baseman Peyton Wilson, giving the Aviators a 9-7 lead.
Harris followed with an RBI single, Cade Marlowe added another run-scoring hit and Serven brought home a run on a forceout as Las Vegas erupted for five runs in the inning.
Suero (3-1) earned the victory after recording the final out of the ninth and pitching through the 10th. Ben Bowden handled the 11th, retiring the final three batters to seal the win.
Meneses stays red hot
Meneses continued one of the hottest stretches in the Pacific Coast League.
The veteran first baseman went 4-for-5 with two doubles, two RBIs and a run scored. His 65 RBIs lead the PCL, while his .332 batting average ranks fourth in the league.
Harris finished 3-for-6 with three runs scored and two RBIs. Kuroda-Grauer added two hits and scored twice, while Hernaiz, Marlowe and Serven each helped fuel the offense.
Las Vegas collected 15 hits and drove in 11 runs while overcoming two blown late leads to secure the series finale.
First place heads home to Las Vegas
The Aviators closed the week by winning four of six games in Omaha and capped the road trip with back-to-back extra-inning victories.
Las Vegas returns home Monday atop the PCL West standings and will open a six-game series against the Round Rock Express on Tuesday at Las Vegas Ballpark. Probable pitchers have not yet been announced.
Related stories
Welcome to Dice City Sports — where we provide premium, exclusive, up-to-date news and analysis surrounding the Las Vegas sports scene. Follow along on social media, and check back for new articles daily!
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.
