The Las Vegas Aviators answered an early deficit with a complete team effort Tuesday, beating first-place Sacramento 9-2 at Las Vegas Ballpark. Las Vegas improved to 65-48 overall and 21-19 in the second half, moving within one game of the River Cats in the PCL West standings.
The Aviators collected 13 hits and went 7-for-14 with runners in scoring position. Luis Morales and four relievers did the rest, holding Sacramento scoreless after the first inning.
Aviators answer immediately
Sacramento took a 2-0 lead before recording an out when Jonah Cox reached on Drew Swift’s throwing error and Turner Hill followed with a two-run homer to right. Morales then retired the next three batters to keep the deficit from growing.
Las Vegas answered in the bottom half after Swift walked and Darell Hernaiz doubled. Joey Meneses followed with a two-run single to tie the game 2-2.
Hernaiz sparked another rally in the third with his second double of the night. Michael Stefanic drove him home with an RBI double, then stole third and scored on a throwing error by Sacramento pitcher Joe Whitman to give Las Vegas a 4-2 lead.
Morales settles in
Morales allowed just two hits across five innings, with only one of Sacramento’s two runs earned because Cox reached on the opening error. He did not issue a walk and struck out two.
The left-hander retired Sacramento in order in the second, third and fifth innings to earn the win and improve to 2-4. Gustavo Rodriguez, Ben Bowden, Jared Johnson and Domingo Robles then combined for four scoreless innings.
Sacramento finished with six hits, went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and did not draw a walk.
Winkler helps break it open
Las Vegas added another run in the fifth when Meneses walked and Bryan Lavastida singled. Jack Winkler followed with a two-out RBI single to push the lead to 5-2.
The Aviators broke the game open with four runs in the seventh. Brayan Buelvas, Cole Conn and Lavastida opened the inning with three consecutive walks before Winkler delivered a two-run double.
Jared Dickey followed with an RBI single, then Stefanic drove in Winkler to make it 9-2. Winkler finished 2-for-4 with a double, three RBIs and a stolen base.
Hernaiz, Stefanic lead balanced attack
Hernaiz went 4-for-5 with two doubles and two runs, while Stefanic finished 3-for-5 with a double, two RBIs and a run. Meneses added two RBIs and reached base three times.
All nine Las Vegas starters reached base as the Aviators produced nine runs without hitting a home run.
Up next
The Aviators continue the series Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. PDT at Las Vegas Ballpark. Left-hander Dallas Keuchel (0-1, 9.00 ERA) is scheduled to start for Las Vegas, while Sacramento had not announced its probable starter.
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 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.
