The Las Vegas Aviators carried a three-run lead into the ninth inning before the Tacoma Rainiers scored five unanswered runs to steal a 9-7 victory Wednesday night at Las Vegas Ballpark.
Darell Hernaiz finished 3-for-5 with his first home run of the season and four RBIs, but Las Vegas could not hold on. The loss dropped the Aviators to 54-33 and evened the six-game series at one game apiece.
Hernaiz helps Aviators answer every Tacoma rally
Las Vegas opened the scoring in the first when Cade Marlowe crossed the plate on Joey Meneses’ groundout.
Tacoma answered in the second on Victor Labrada’s RBI triple before Hernaiz put the Aviators back in command an inning later.
Brayan Buelvas singled before Marlowe reached on an error. Hernaiz then drove a three-run homer to center field for a 4-1 lead.
Tacoma responded with three runs in the fourth. Labrada doubled home Spencer Packard before Ryan Bliss lifted a sacrifice fly and Michael Arroyo followed with an RBI single to tie the game at 4-4.
The Aviators answered again.
Hernaiz lined an RBI single to right field later in the fourth to restore the lead. Jack Winkler grounded into a double play that scored Brian Serven from third, extending the advantage to 6-4. Buelvas followed with an RBI triple to right-center, giving Las Vegas a 7-4 cushion.
Bullpen protects lead until the ninth
Garrett Nett lasted 2 2/3 innings in his third Triple-A start. He allowed one run, walked four and struck out four before reaching his pitch limit.
James Gonzalez escaped the third inning before Tacoma tied the game in the fourth. CD Pelham followed with 1 2/3 scoreless innings, Yunior Tur added two scoreless frames and Geoff Hartlieb retired all three batters he faced in the eighth.
Suero entered the ninth needing three outs to secure the victory. Instead, Tacoma sent eight batters to the plate and scored five runs.
Tacoma completes comeback
Connor Joe opened the ninth with a double before Spencer Packard walked and Jhonny Pereda singled to load the bases.
Labrada’s sacrifice fly cut the deficit to 7-6. Ryan Bliss followed with a game-tying RBI double before Brock Rodden lined a go-ahead single into right field.
After Michael Arroyo walked to reload the bases, Brady Basso replaced Suero. Patrick Wisdom grounded into a force play that brought home another run, pushing Tacoma’s lead to 9-7.
Las Vegas threatened in the bottom of the ninth.
Brian Serven singled before Michael Stefanic reached on a fielder’s choice. Two wild pitches moved Stefanic to third, and Drew Swift walked to bring the tying run aboard. However, Jared Dickey grounded into a game-ending double play.
Hernaiz leads balanced offensive effort
Hernaiz led the Aviators with three hits, four RBIs and the first homer of his 2026 season.
Buelvas finished 3-for-4 with a triple, an RBI and two runs scored. Marlowe scored twice, while Meneses doubled and drove in a run. Stefanic doubled and scored twice, and Serven added two hits, including a triple.
Up next
The Aviators continue their six-game series against Tacoma on Thursday at Las Vegas Ballpark. Right-hander Jack Perkins Morris (7-4, 4.41 ERA) is scheduled to start for Las Vegas against Tacoma left-hander John Plassmeyer (0-2, 9.00 ERA). First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. PDT.
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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.
