Dice City Plus

Morris deals 7 scoreless as Aviators beat Sacramento 5-1

Aviators beat Sacramento 5-1 on Wednesday at Sutter Health Park behind seven scoreless innings from Kade Morris. Brayan Buelvas homered early, Drew Swift added a two-run shot and Las Vegas improved to 2-0 in the second half.

by
Mark Hebert
June 25, 2026

Athletics pitcher Kade Morris reacts after ending the first inning during a Major League start against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park. Morris later carried that momentum back to Triple-A, throwing seven scoreless innings as the Las Vegas Aviators defeated Sacramento 5-1.

Athletics right-hander Kade Morris reacts after escaping the first inning during a start against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park earlier this season. Morris has continued to build momentum since returning to Triple-A, delivering seven scoreless innings Wednesday to earn his seventh victory and move into a tie for the Pacific Coast League lead in wins. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Aviators continued their strong stretch Wednesday afternoon, riding another dominant start from Kade Morris to a 5-1 victory over the Sacramento River Cats at Sutter Health Park.

Morris keeps dealing

Morris delivered one of his best outings of the season, allowing four hits over seven scoreless innings while walking none and striking out three on just 90 pitches. He improved to 7-4 and lowered his ERA to 4.41.

The victory moved Morris into a tie for the Pacific Coast League lead in wins with Oklahoma City’s Cole Irvin and Albuquerque’s Sammy Peralta, each with seven.

Sacramento managed just one runner to reach third base against Morris, but he stranded him there and never allowed the River Cats to break through before handing the game to the bullpen.

Ben Bowden worked a scoreless eighth before Michael Kelly surrendered a solo home run to Drew Cavanaugh in the ninth. Otherwise, Las Vegas pitchers limited Sacramento to five hits and combined for five strikeouts.

Sixth inning breaks it open

Brayan Buelvas gave Las Vegas an early 1-0 lead with a solo homer in the third, his second of the season.

The Aviators then put the game away with a four-run sixth.

Alika Williams opened the inning with a double before Tommy White lifted a sacrifice fly to score Darell Hernaiz. Brian Serven followed with an RBI double, and Drew Swift capped the rally with his first home run of the season, a two-run shot to left that pushed the lead to 5-0.

Couple of homers in Sacramento today, including Drew Swift's FIRST of the season. 👏 pic.twitter.com/ytRC6GupXt

— Las Vegas Aviators (@AviatorsLV) June 24, 2026

Williams stays hot after return

Williams continued his strong return to Triple-A after being optioned by the Athletics earlier this week.

After homering and reaching base five times in Tuesday’s second-half opener, the infielder doubled, scored a run and finished 1-for-4 Wednesday.

Hernaiz collected two hits, White went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a stolen base, and Swift finished 2-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs.

Buelvas also drove in a run with his third-inning homer, while Serven added an RBI double as Las Vegas totaled 11 hits.

Up next

The Aviators continue their six-game series against the River Cats on Thursday at Sutter Health Park.

Sacramento is expected to start left-hander Carson Whisenhunt (5-2, 3.65 ERA). Las Vegas had not announced a starting pitcher at the time of publication.

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.