The Las Vegas Aviators ended a historic regular season the way they spent much of it, with strong pitching and just enough power.
Cole Conn and Devin Taylor homered while Joey Estes allowed one hit over five scoreless innings as Las Vegas beat the Sugar Land Space Cowboys 3-1 Sunday at Constellation Field. The Aviators finished the regular season 87-61 and snapped a two-game losing streak after being shut out in consecutive games.
Now, the games get bigger.
Las Vegas returns home to face the Oklahoma City Comets in the Pacific Coast League Championship beginning Tuesday at Las Vegas Ballpark.
Kuroda-Grauer sparks the first inning
Joshua Kuroda-Grauer needed one pitch sequence to make an impact in his second game on a rehab assignment.
Kuroda-Grauer opened the game with a double to right, his first hit since returning to game action. Conn followed by driving a 1-2 pitch over the left-field wall for a two-run homer.
The 359-foot shot left Conn’s bat at 98.7 mph and gave Las Vegas a 2-0 lead before Sugar Land recorded an out.
It was Conn’s sixth Triple-A home run and gave him 23 RBIs with the Aviators.
Kuroda-Grauer finished 1-for-3 with a double, a walk and a run scored. He is working his way back after missing nearly two months following emergency surgery for a ruptured testicle suffered July 20 while playing for the Athletics.
Estes gives Sugar Land almost nothing
The early lead was plenty for Estes.
The right-hander held Sugar Land without a hit through four innings and repeatedly kept traffic off the bases. A hit batter and walk created some pressure in the second, but Davis Diaz threw out Zach Dezenzo attempting to steal third.
Sugar Land finally recorded its first hit with two outs in the fifth when Garret Guillemette singled to left.
Even that threat ended at the plate.
Raynel Delgado tried to score from second, but Conn threw him out from left field to preserve the shutout.
Estes finished five scoreless innings, allowing one hit and two walks while striking out two. He threw 73 pitches, 41 for strikes, and improved to 4-7.
Taylor adds another Triple-A homer
Taylor gave Estes another run of support in the fifth.
Leading off against Jason Alexander, Taylor drove a 0-1 pitch over the right-field wall for his third home run since joining Las Vegas.
The ball left his bat at 106.1 mph and traveled 362 feet, extending the lead to 3-0.
Taylor finished 2-for-4 and closed the regular season batting .295 with Las Vegas after joining the club from Double-A Midland earlier this month.
Bullpen carries lead home
Jared Johnson replaced Estes in the sixth and immediately benefited from a double play after Trevor Austin opened with a single.
Sugar Land finally broke through against Johnson in the seventh. Zach Cole doubled and scored when Delgado followed with an RBI double, cutting the lead to 3-1.
Johnson prevented further damage, getting Collin Price on a groundout before walking César Salazar and striking out Guillemette.
He allowed one run over two innings and earned his second hold.
Wander Suero worked around a single and hit batter in a scoreless eighth, earning his ninth hold.
Hayden Juenger then retired Sugar Land in order in the ninth, striking out Delgado before getting Price on a groundout and Salazar on a lineout. The clean inning gave Juenger his first save.
Pitching sets the tone before championship
Las Vegas pitching allowed five hits and one run Sunday.
Estes, Johnson, Suero and Juenger combined to hold Sugar Land to 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position while stranding six.
The performance came after the Aviators were shut out 4-0 Friday and 7-0 Saturday, making the return of both the offense and pitching especially timely with the postseason next.
Las Vegas finished the Sugar Land series with three wins and three losses.
Historic regular season complete
The Aviators close the regular season at 87-61 after setting a new franchise record for victories earlier in the series.
Las Vegas also finished with the best second-half record in the PCL West after a late-season surge that included an eight-game winning streak.
The regular season is over. The championship series is next.
Up next
Las Vegas hosts the Oklahoma City Comets in Game 1 of the best-of-three Pacific Coast League Championship on Tuesday at Las Vegas Ballpark.
First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. PDT. Game 2 is Wednesday at 7:05 p.m., with Game 3 scheduled for Thursday at the same time if necessary.
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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.
