The Las Vegas Aviators finished one comeback Saturday before falling just short in another.
Las Vegas completed Friday’s suspended game with a 10-5 win over Sacramento, powered by Jack Winkler’s fifth-inning grand slam. The River Cats answered with a 3-2 victory in the seven-inning nightcap at Las Vegas Ballpark.
The split left the Aviators at 66-51 and Sacramento at 67-49 entering Sunday’s finale, where Las Vegas can salvage a 3-3 series split and pull within a half-game of the River Cats.
Winkler powers suspended-game win
Las Vegas resumed Friday’s suspended game Saturday with a 2-0 lead after Ryan Magdic had thrown three scoreless innings before rain stopped play.
Sacramento erased that advantage against Andrew Bash. Scott Bandura tied the game with a two-run double in the fourth, then the River Cats scored twice more in the fifth for a 4-2 lead.
The Aviators responded with five runs in the bottom half. Brayan Buelvas singled, Bryan Lavastida followed with another hit and Cole Conn doubled home Buelvas.
After Las Vegas loaded the bases with two outs, Winkler launched a grand slam to left-center for a 7-4 lead. It was his 10th home run of the season and gave him four RBIs in the game.
Las Vegas added a run on Lavastida’s RBI double in the sixth before Buelvas delivered a two-run homer in the eighth. Buelvas finished 3-for-5 with a double, home run, three runs and two RBIs.
Jared Dickey also went 3-for-5 with two RBIs, while Winkler reached three times after entering as a pinch hitter. Las Vegas finished with 17 hits and went 5-for-16 with runners in scoring position.
Bash earned the win despite allowing four runs, two earned, across two innings. A.J. Causey, Yunior Tur and Geoff Hartlieb combined to protect the lead over the final four innings.
Early lead slips away in nightcap
Las Vegas again answered immediately after Sacramento scored in the first inning of Game 2.
Drew Swift singled before Buelvas tripled him home. Michael Stefanic then grounded out to score Buelvas and give the Aviators a 2-1 lead.
Kade Morris held Sacramento to one run across three innings, allowing three hits and striking out two.
The lead disappeared in the fifth after Jared Johnson took over. Diego Velasquez doubled, advanced on a wild pitch and scored on Eddys Leonard’s single.
Another Johnson wild pitch moved Leonard into scoring position before Nate Furman’s sacrifice fly gave Sacramento a 3-2 lead.
Taylor Rashi stranded two inherited runners to keep the deficit at one. In the sixth, Winkler helped preserve the one-run margin by tracking Will Brennan’s popup into foul territory for the first out before Rashi struck out the next two batters.
Sacramento shuts down late chances
Las Vegas had an opportunity to answer in the fifth when Conn walked and Swift later reached on another walk. Buelvas singled with two outs to put runners at the corners, but Stefanic flew out to end the inning.
That proved to be the Aviators’ final hit.
Sacramento starter Cesar Perdomo allowed five hits and two runs across 6 2/3 innings. Ryan Walker recorded the final out for his second save.
Buelvas went 2-for-3 with a triple and an RBI. Stefanic added a hit and an RBI, while Conn doubled and walked.
Las Vegas finished 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position in the nightcap.
Up next
The Aviators will try to salvage a 3-3 series split Sunday at 6:05 p.m. PDT at Las Vegas Ballpark.
Right-hander Luis Morales (2-4, 7.56 ERA) is scheduled to start for Las Vegas against Sacramento left-hander Joe Whitman (3-3, 5.36 ERA).
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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.
