Las Vegas headed back home after salvaging second series split in last three tries

After entering this week’s series on a nine-game win streak, the Las Vegas Aviators just produced their second series split in their last three tries.

This past week, the team split six games with the Reno Aces of the Arizona Diamondbacks organization. As a result, Las Vegas still has yet to lose a series outright this year as it moved to 26-13 on the season.

That record is good for the top spot in the entire Pacific Coast League. As of now, the Oklahoma City Comets are a game behind. The aforementioned Aces are tied with the Sugar Land Space Cowboys just five games back of the top spot.

Las Vegas will return home next week for six scheduled games against the El Paso Chihuahuas of the San Diego Padres.

Tuesday, W, 15-0

Las Vegas’ win streak is into double-digits following a series-opening win on the road against Reno. In addition, the team picked up its first shutout of the season while moving to 3-1 against its intrastate rival this year.

A slow start for the Aviators’ offense was offset by a big fourth inning. Through the first three innings, the team was sat down in order with the first baserunner and hit coming in the fourth frame.

That inning was started by a leadoff walk before tallying the team’s first hit. First baseman Logan Davidson drove in two runs on a double to open the scoring. Three batters later, second baseman Max Muncy added two more runs on a single.

Already up 5-0, the Las Vegas began pouring it on. Designated hitter Carlos Cortes drove in a run on an RBI double. Reno didn’t make matters better for itself by walking in two additional runs on free passes to shortstop Darell Hernaiz and the aforementioned Davidson.

With the score 10-0, right fielder Colby Thomas and third baseman CJ Alexander went back-to-back on homers in the eighth inning. Thomas also went yard in the ninth inning as part of a 3-for-6 night with a double, two home runs, two RBI, three runs scored and two strikeouts.

In total, eight of the nine Aviator batters tallied at least one hit and at least one RBI, led by three RBI from Davidson. In addition, all nine batters in the lineup scored at least one run with Muncy and Thomas leading the way with three runs scored apiece.

The former also recorded three hits and two RBI.

Pitcher Joey Estes had an excellent start and found himself with six scoreless innings recorded when it was all said and done. After walking a batter and serving up a single, he got out of a dangerous third inning with a strikeout, popout and another strikeout.

Fast forward to the fifth inning, Estes got out of the frame with back-to-back strikeouts and a flyout. At that point, he hadn’t allowed a hit since that single in the third.

Estes would leave with two hits allowed of six scoreless innings with five strikeouts and four walks. He is now 2-0 this season after completing last year with a 2-3 overall record.

Wednesday, L, 11-3

The win streak for Las Vegas has been snapped at 10 straight wins. Wednesday’s loss to Reno counts as the team’s second misfire in six outings against its intrastate rivals.

It was back-and-forth before the home team returned the favor from yesterday with a big fourth inning.

Second baseman Alejo Lopez and left fielder Drew Avans put the Aviators up, 2-0, in the second inning behind an RBI single and RBI double. In the bottom half of the frame, the Aces would get back those two runs on an RBI groundout and an RBI double.

Center fielder Denzel Clarke gave Las Vegas the lead again in the third inning on an RBI single. That would serve as the final run of the game for the club. Reno wasted no time getting the game back even and then jumped on top for its first lead of the game.

The bottom half of the fourth inning began with a single and RBI double to tie the game at three apiece. Soon after, the bases would be loaded with one out before runs would score on a wild pitch and an RBI walk. By the end of the frame, the home team would be up by four runs.

Starter Jack Perkins was given the loss after going 3 ⅓ innings with six runs allowed on four hits with five strikeouts and three walks.

Reliever Michel Otanez entered the game in the fifth and served up a leadoff home run to push the deficit to five runs. Reno would add runs in the sixth inning and eighth inning off the Las Vegas bullpen.

In 4.2 innings of work, the Aviator bullpen gave up five runs on nine hits with six strikeouts and four walks.

As far as offense, Las Vegas had nine total baserunners with four of them coming off walks.

Thursday, W, 4-0

Two wins in three games to start a scheduled six games against Reno has moved Las Vegas to 11-1 in its last 12 games.

The team produced its second shutout of the season after combining to hurl a one-hitter in a game that saw just five total.

Starting pitcher Jacob Lopez cruised through most of his outing after allowing just two baserunners, both on walks, through the first three innings of the game. He’d leave the game in the fifth inning after retiring five straight.

Lopez pitched 4.1 scoreless and hitless inning while tallying five strikeouts and two walks. He completed his outing on 75 pitches while competing in his second game back from the big league Athletics team.

Right-hander Jack Cushing relieved Lopez and would walk another batter with two outs on the board. That runner would be caught stealing to end the threat.

Cushing would go on to get the win to improve to 4-0 on the year.

Reno’s lone hit of the night came off relief pitcher Michel Otanez on a two-out single to the first batter he faced. Last night, he coughed up a leadoff homer to the first man he faced in the fifth inning.

Fellow reliever Anthony Maldonado retired all four batters he faced on his way to his first save of the season. He has a 0.79 ERA this season.

Las Vegas had baserunners in eight of the nine innings despite only scoring four runs but the team did rack up seven walks on the night. First baseman Logan Davidson opened the game’s scoring with an RBI sacrifice fly in the game’s opening inning. In the ninth inning, he’d plate two more runs on a single with two outs.

Davidson closed the night with a 1-for-3 stat line with a single, three RBI, a run scored, a strikeout and a walk.

Similar to Davidson, catcher Willie MacIver drove in a run on an RBI single with two outs in the sixth inning. At the time, that was the second Aviator hit of the night.

Friday, L, 7-6

Two blown saves led to a walk-off loss for Las Vegas resulting in a series split through the first four games of a scheduled six with Reno.

After once leading by 5-2, things began to slide in the seventh inning but things really went downhill in the ninth inning. Relief pitcher Angel Perdomo gave up a three-run pinch-hit home run with one out to tie the game at five apiece.

The Aviators scored their ghost runner in the top half of the 10th inning. That lead would be short-lived after right-handed reliever Jake Walkinshaw gave up a walk-off home run to the leadoff man to score the ghost runner in addition to himself.

Perdomo and Walkinshaw combined to give up four runs (three earned runs) on four hits in one-plus innings of work. In addition, the pair gave up two of the three home runs given up by the team in the loss.

Starting pitcher Jason Alexander had two runs scored off him on three hits but none would be earned. He worked five full innings with six strikeouts tallied versus just four walks.

Alexander is still 1-0 this season after the no-decision in this one. In five starts, he has an ERA of 1.27 this year.

That early lead for the Aviators was built in the first half of the game beginning with a solo home run by third baseman Max Muncy after the home team had taken a 2-0 lead. An inning later, designated hitter Willie MacIver gave Las Vegas its first lead of the game on a two-run double with two outs.

In the sixth inning, second baseman Cooper Bowman drove in two runs on a double to extend the lead to 5-2.

Saturday, L, 10-9

Another loss up north has Las Vegas staring at its third loss in its last five games and its second straight one-run loss. The team now needs a win in the series finale on Sunday for a series split.

In this one, the Aviators lost another lead. A four-run lead built in the second inning would fully evaporate by the fifth inning.

For the second straight game, third baseman Max Muncy blasted a home run, this time for two runs with one out recorded in the second inning. Not long after, teammates Daniel Susac and Denzel Clarke would plate two more runs on an RBI double and RBI single.

Reno would come within a run of tying the game in the bottom half of the frame before left fielder CJ Alexander attempted to further the distance with a solo homer with one out tallied in the third inning.

Alexander come up big for Las Vegas even in the loss.

The Aces chopped the two-run deficit in half with a leadoff dinger in the bottom of the third inning. Another home run, this time for three runs, in the fifth inning gave the home team the lead.

The blast came off the bat of Reno’s Aramis Garcia, who also was responsible for the walkoff win earlier in the series. Starting pitcher Mason Barnett gave up seven runs on seven hits in 4.2 innings of work with three strikeouts and three walks.

For a brief moment, Susac tied the game again behind a solo home run in the sixth but again it wouldn’t last for long. Three runs came on the backend of that on the strength of a leadoff homer by the Aces in the bottom of the sixth in addition to runs on a RBI sacrifice fly and RBI single.

Right-hander Jack Cushing was saddled with his first loss of the season to fall to 4-1.

The aforementioned Alexander recorded a cycle in the loss during a 4-for-5 night with a single, double, triple, home run, three RBI, two runs scored and a strikeout.

Right fielder Colby Thomas kept Las Vegas alive with a solo shot with two outs in the ninth inning to climb to within a run. Alexander would strike out in the next at-bat to end the game.

Sunday, W, 6-4

Las Vegas salvaged a split with a series-finale win over Reno up northern Nevada Sunday. Through nine rivalry games this season, the Aviators have won five of those meetings.

Two three-run innings ultimately provided the cushion for this series-saving win.

Already down 2-0, third baseman CJ Alexander turned a two-on, one-out situation into a run on an RBI double. In the next at-bat, second baseman Max Muncy grounded out to tie the game.

With the game tied, center fielder Denzel Clarke put the Aviators on top with an RBI single. The lead would only last until the bottom half of the frame after the Aces tied the game on a leadoff homer.

Designated hitter Willie MacIver would give Las Vegas the lead for good behind an RBI single with one out in the eighth inning. Reno would later make things worse with back-to-back RBI walks to Clarke and catcher Daniel Susac.

The two-run lead for the home team was built off the back of Las Vegas starter Joey Estes during a five-inning outing for the righty. He gave up three runs (two earned) on four hits while compiling six strikeouts and a walk.

Estes left the game in line for the win.

While the Aviators were able to regain the lead, the bullpen starred in the series-ending win. Right-handed reliever Michel Otanez finally had some success in the series as he picked up his first win of the year. He worked gave up two hits in two scoreless innings with three strikeouts.

Fellow reliever Carlos Duran earned his first save of the season after working another two innings with one run allowed on an RBI double in the eighth inning. He also tallied two strikeouts and a walk.

Duran has started, relieved and saved a game for Las Vegas this season.