The Las Vegas Aviators used a six-run sixth inning to pull away from the Round Rock Express and earn their third straight win Friday night, defeating Round Rock 10-4 at Las Vegas Ballpark.
Las Vegas improved to 43-28 and increased its lead atop the Pacific Coast League West to 1.5 games after Sacramento fell for the second consecutive night. The Aviators have won seven of their last 10 games and continue to get production throughout the lineup.
Joey Meneses led the way again, finishing 4-for-5 with a home run, two doubles and four RBIs. The veteran first baseman raised his batting average to .347, moving into the Pacific Coast League lead while extending his league-leading RBI total to 75.
Meneses keeps mashing
Round Rock struck first when Cameron Cauley launched a solo homer in the opening inning.
The Aviators answered in the second. Meneses tied the game with a solo shot to right-center before Cade Marlowe walked and stole second. Tommy White followed with a walk, and Jared Dickey ripped a two-run double to center to give Las Vegas a 3-1 lead.
The Express responded with power of their own. Trevor Hauver connected for a two-run homer in the third, and John Taylor added a solo blast in the fourth to put Round Rock back in front 4-3.
Meneses kept the pressure on throughout the night. He doubled in the third, struck again with a two-run single during the decisive sixth inning and added another double in the eighth.
Sixth-inning avalanche
Trailing 4-3 entering the bottom of the sixth, Las Vegas finally broke through.
Tommy White opened the rally with a game-tying solo homer, his sixth of the season. Jared Dickey and Joshua Kuroda-Grauer then worked walks before Brett Harris reached on a fielding error.
With two outs, Meneses lined a two-run single to right to put the Aviators back in front 6-4.
Michael Stefanic followed with an RBI groundout, Bryan Lavastida added a run-scoring single and Dickey capped the outburst with a two-run single that stretched the lead to 9-4.
The Aviators scored six runs in the inning despite collecting just two hits.
White finished with a run scored and an RBI, while Dickey drove in two runs and scored once. Kuroda-Grauer scored twice, and Marlowe reached base three times and stole his 19th base of the season.
Bullpen slams the door
Joey Estes allowed four runs on five hits over 4.2 innings before turning the game over to the bullpen.
Matt Krook earned the win after recording the final out of the fifth and working a scoreless sixth. Yunior Tur took over from there and dominated, striking out five while allowing just one hit across 2.2 scoreless innings.
Combined, Krook and Tur tossed 4.1 scoreless innings and held Round Rock to one hit while striking out five.
The effort ensured the Aviators’ offense had plenty of room to operate after the sixth-inning surge.
Las Vegas enters Saturday with a 1.5-game lead over Sacramento in the Pacific Coast League West. Meneses remains one of the league’s hottest hitters, leading the PCL in batting average and RBIs while helping pace the Aviators’ climb to the top of the standings.
Up Next
The Aviators continue their six-game series against Round Rock on Saturday at Las Vegas Ballpark.
Las Vegas is expected to start right-hander Carlos Morales (0-1, 7.80 ERA) against Express right-hander Robert Stephenson (4-4, 5.59 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. PT.
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Dice City Sports editor Mark Hebert covers the Las Vegas Aces, 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.
