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Aviators cooled off in 4-0 shutout loss to Salt Lake

Aviators cooled off Wednesday in a 4-0 loss to the Salt Lake Bees after winning eight of their previous nine games. Cade Marlowe had two of Las Vegas’ three hits, but the Aviators struck out 12 times and never found a rally.

by
Mark Hebert
July 2, 2026

Ben Bowden delivers a pitch during a previous Major League appearance with the Oakland Athletics against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Bowden tossed a scoreless eighth inning for the Las Vegas Aviators in a 4-0 loss to the Salt Lake Bees.

Las Vegas Aviators reliever Ben Bowden delivers a pitch during a previous Major League appearance with the Oakland Athletics against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Bowden worked a scoreless eighth inning Wednesday night, but the Aviators were shut out for the first time since April 10 in a 4-0 loss to the Salt Lake Bees. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Aviators were finally cooled off Wednesday night.

Las Vegas managed just three hits, with Cade Marlowe collecting two of them and Tommy White adding the other. The Aviators also struck out 12 times and advanced only one runner past second base.

First-inning homer puts Aviators in an early hole

Salt Lake seized control in the opening inning.

Nelson Rada singled, advanced to second on a wild pitch and moved to third on a groundout. Then Luis Morales struck out Jeimer Candelario for the second out. However, Ben Gobbel followed with a three-run homer to left, giving the Bees a 3-0 lead.

That early burst proved all the offense Salt Lake needed.

From there, George Klassen took over. He retired 21 of the 24 batters he faced across seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits while walking one and striking out nine. Then Kaleb Ort struck out three over the final two innings to finish the combined three-hit shutout.

Not our night.
Back at it tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/OVlBwBGGSf

— Las Vegas Aviators (@AviatorsLV) July 2, 2026

Marlowe provides lone bright spot

Marlowe accounted for two-thirds of the Aviators’ offense with singles in the first and fourth innings. White added a single in the seventh before being thrown out trying to stretch it into a double.

Las Vegas’ best chance came in the sixth when Drew Swift drew a one-out walk, but Colby Halter flied out to end the inning. The Aviators finished with just two runners left on base.

Bullpen settles in after rough start

Morales allowed three runs on three hits over 4 1/3 innings, walking two and striking out four to take the loss.

James Gonzalez followed with 1 2/3 scoreless innings, escaping a sixth-inning threat with an inning-ending double play. Hayden Juenger allowed Ryan Nicholson’s RBI double in the seventh before Ben Bowden worked a scoreless eighth. Despite the loss, Las Vegas pitchers held Salt Lake to just five hits.

The defeat dropped the Aviators to 50-31 but they remained atop the Pacific Coast League West standings. Salt Lake improved to 43-39.

Up next

The Aviators continue their six-game series against the Bees on Thursday at The Ballpark at America First Square in South Jordan, Utah. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. PDT. Probable pitchers had not been announced as of Wednesday night.

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.