The Las Vegas Aviators found another way to win Tuesday night.
Las Vegas survived a late Sugar Land comeback before scoring on a wild pitch in the 10th inning for a 6-5 victory at Las Vegas Ballpark.
The Aviators improved to 72-53 and have won seven of their last 10. They remain two games behind Sacramento in the PCL West second-half standings.
Keuchel continues to make progress
Dallas Keuchel was not dominant, but the veteran left-hander continued to give Las Vegas more length.
Keuchel allowed three runs on four hits across five innings. He walked three, struck out four and threw 96 pitches, his longest outing in six starts with the Aviators.
Sugar Land scored once in each of the first two innings before Zach Cole tied the game 3-3 with a solo homer in the fifth.
Keuchel’s ERA dropped to 7.36. After failing to complete four innings in four of his first five Las Vegas starts, he has now worked 4 1/3 and five innings in his last two.
Aviators build a two-run lead
Las Vegas answered Sugar Land’s opening run immediately.
Denzel Clarke singled before Jared Dickey reached on a fielder’s choice. Joey Meneses followed with a single, then Brayan Buelvas doubled home Dickey to tie the game 1-1.
Johnathan Rodríguez tied it again in the third with his first home run of the season, a 431-foot shot to left-center.
Buelvas later singled and Cole Conn followed with another hit before Jack Winkler drove in Buelvas for a 3-2 lead.
After Sugar Land tied it in the fifth, the Aviators struck for two more runs in the bottom half.
Buelvas walked, stole second and scored on Drew Swift’s RBI single. With runners at the corners and two outs, Swift broke for second and Conn stole home to give Las Vegas a 5-3 advantage.
Sugar Land forces extras
The Las Vegas bullpen held Sugar Land without a hit in the sixth and seventh before the Space Cowboys began their comeback.
Cavan Biggio walked and Joey Loperfido singled against Seth Johnson in the eighth. Trenton Brooks then drove in Biggio on a fielder’s choice, cutting the lead to 5-4.
Ben Bowden entered with two runners aboard and struck out Cole to end the threat.
Sugar Land tied the game in the ninth. Lucas Spence doubled and later scored on Biggio’s two-out infield single against Taylor Rashi.
Wander Suero entered with runners at the corners and retired Zach Dezenzo to keep the game tied.
Conn helps save it, then scores winner
Sugar Land immediately threatened again in the 10th with the automatic runner at second.
Suero walked Brooks and Cole, loading the bases with one out. He struck out Spence before the defense delivered the biggest play of the night.
Raynel Delgado hit a soft ground ball in front of the plate, and Conn fielded it before throwing to Meneses at first for the final out.
The play sent Las Vegas to the bottom of the 10th still tied 5-5.
Conn started the inning at second as the automatic runner. Winkler walked before Swift lined out attempting a bunt.
Davis Diaz then grounded out, moving Conn to third and Winkler to second with two outs.
Roddery Muñoz never got the chance to finish the at-bat against Colby Halter. His first pitch got away for a wild pitch, allowing Conn to race home with the winning run.
Suero earned the victory and improved to 5-3 after 1 1/3 hitless innings.
Up next
The Aviators continue the six-game series against Sugar Land on Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. PDT at Las Vegas Ballpark.
Left-hander Ryan Magdic (0-2, 5.76 ERA) is scheduled to start for Las Vegas against former Aviator Jason Alexander (3-4, 4.43 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.
