Mason Barnett gave the Las Vegas Aviators exactly what they needed Saturday night, then Jack Winkler and Cole Conn supplied the power.
Barnett threw all nine innings as Las Vegas rallied for a 3-2 win over the Sacramento River Cats at Las Vegas Ballpark. The Aviators won their fourth straight, improved to 82-59 overall and moved two games ahead of Tacoma for first place in the PCL West.
Barnett allowed six hits and two runs while walking two and striking out six. He threw 102 pitches, 66 for strikes, and retired the final 12 Sacramento hitters he faced.
Sacramento strikes first
The River Cats put immediate pressure on Barnett in the first inning.
Darren Baker singled, stole second and advanced to third on Will Brennan’s groundout. Charlie Szykowny then brought Baker home with a groundout for a 1-0 lead.
Sacramento doubled the advantage in the fourth. Diego Velasquez opened with a double and scored on Zach Morgan’s two-out single to center.
Those were the only runs Barnett allowed.
Winkler brings Las Vegas back
The Aviators did not record a hit through the first three innings against Duncan Davitt, who retired all nine batters he faced.
Devin Taylor broke up the hitless start with a fourth-inning single against Darien Smith, but Las Vegas still entered the fifth trailing 2-0.
Luke Mann opened the fifth with a single before Johnathan Rodríguez moved him to second with a groundout. Winkler then turned the game with one swing.
Winkler launched a two-run homer to center field, tying the game 2-2. His 14th home run of the season traveled 417 feet and left the bat at 98.7 mph.
Barnett takes over
Sacramento threatened again in the sixth when Szykowny opened with a single.
Velasquez moved him to second with a sacrifice bunt, and Eddys Leonard followed with a groundout that sent Szykowny to third. Barnett escaped when Thomas Gavello grounded softly back to the mound.
That started a dominant finish.
Barnett retired Sacramento in order in the seventh, struck out two in a perfect eighth and finished the ninth with a flyout, strikeout and flyout.
After Szykowny’s sixth-inning single, no River Cat reached base again. Barnett retired the final 12 batters he faced.
Barnett finished with 15 groundouts and held Sacramento to 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position.
Conn delivers the winner
Las Vegas had managed only three hits when Conn came to the plate with two outs in the eighth.
He fell behind 0-2 against Braxton Roxby before driving a solo home run to right field. The 375-foot shot was Conn’s third homer of the season and gave the Aviators their first lead of the night at 3-2.
Barnett made it stand.
Diego Velasquez flew out to begin the ninth before Barnett struck out Leonard. Gavello then flew out to Brayan Buelvas in center to end the game.
Las Vegas won despite collecting only four hits. Two were home runs, and all three Aviators runs came on the Winkler and Conn shots.
Aviators strengthen grip on first place
The victory pushed Las Vegas to 38-30 in the second half and extended its winning streak to four games.
The Aviators hold first place in the PCL West, two games ahead of Tacoma at 36-32. Sacramento dropped to 35-33 and sits three games behind Las Vegas after losing its fourth straight.
Las Vegas has won four straight since dropping the series opener against Sacramento.
Up next
The Aviators close the series against Sacramento on Sunday at Las Vegas Ballpark.
First pitch is scheduled for 12:05 p.m. PDT. Las Vegas has not announced its starting pitcher, while Sacramento is scheduled to start right-hander Finley.
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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.
