Las Vegas loses Triple-A National Championship in walk-off finish to Jacksonville

Jacksonville celebrates on the field of Las Vegas Ballpark after hitting a walk-off two-run home run. Photo Credit: Terrel Emerson/Talk that Talk

A wild ninth inning saw the Las Vegas Aviators stage a thunderous comeback on a cloudy night in the desert, only to have its season come to a crashing end three batters into the bottom of the ninth inning.

Las Vegas fell short, 8-7, to Jacksonville Saturday, Sept. 27 from Las Vegas Ballpark in this year’s Triple-A National Championship. It served as a single-game championship rather than a series format.

“It’s difficult after a game like tonight,” manager Fran Riordan said. “But you have to look back at this year with a lot of pride, a lot of positives, a lot of things that individuals did really well and our team did really well.

“You just can’t overlook all of the positive things, all of the great things that happened this year when you just have one night.”

While falling short of its national title hopes, the Aviators did win the Pacific Coast League for the fifth time overall and the first time since 1988.

“It’s not hard to talk about at all,” Riordan said. “They were fantastic from opening pitch March 28th to where we are now. It’s cool in Vegas and it feels like football weather. Everything in between, like I said, they have nothing to hang their heads about. I’ll go to war with the young men in that room any day of the week.”

Las Vegas showed late life in Saturday’s loss after entering the ninth inning with just two hits recorded while facing a 6-2 deficit. Playing as the visitors in its home stadium, the team opened the top of the ninth with a single, a walk and an RBI single by center fielder Denzel Clarke to cut the deficit to three.

After a pitching change, the comeback continued with another walk and an RBI groundout by designated hitter Nick Martini. The loudest swing of the game to that point came next on a three-run home run by first baseman Bryan Lavastida.

That swing gave the Aviators their first lead of the game at 7-6.

Aviators first baseman Bryan Lavastida stands at first base in the ninth inning. Photo Credit: Terrel Emerson/Talk that Talk

“I was out coaching third base but [the dugout] seemed pretty rowdy from where I was standing,” Riordan said. “Starting with [catcher Daniel] Susac and what he did to lead off that inning culminating with Lavastida’s three-run home run to give us a one-run lead. It was the loudest I’ve ever heard this stadium.

“I wish I was in the dugout when it happened because it was one of the more exciting moments on a baseball field I’ve experienced.”

Riordan called on reliever Jake Walkinshaw for the bottom of the ninth after he shut the door on Wednesday to get the team to this championship game.

While the frame began with a single, Walkinshaw picked up the first out of the inning with an immediate strikeout next. On the first pitch of the next at-bat, he served up the title-winning two-run home run to Jumbo Shrimp right fielder Jacob Berry.

Fellow reliever Anthony Maldonado also had a tough outing with two runs allowed on three hits while failing to record an out during his outing.

Left-hander Ken Waldichuk got the call to start in the winner-take-all championship game. This season, he continued to work his way back from Tommy John Surgery.

Waldichuk was making his first start in 13 days with an appearance out of the bullpen on September 20th serving as his last outing. This season, he went 2-6 with an 8.65 earned run average.

“It felt really good hearing that [I was starting],” he said. “It kind of showed the trust they had in me. I thought I’d have a role in some way, either way, but I just came in ready to empty the tank.”

Though the first out was a loud one on a flyout to right field, Waldichuk induced four consecutive flyouts to start the game before ending the second inning with a strikeout and groundout.

“I don’t think it showed tonight,” he said. “Just harnessing my command and getting back to the basics of pitching and not having to worry about elbow pain and all that. I think I made some big strides especially in the second half of the season.”

Trouble came in the third inning when a runner reached on an error on left fielder Ryan Lasko, who had a fly ball bounce off his head after failing to make the catch. Immediately after, Waldichuk hurled a pitch across the plate that turned into a two-run home run.

Lasko had both of the Las Vegas errors on the night as he left the game in the seventh inning in favor of pinch hitter Luke Mann.

“Ken had to go through a lot this year,” Riordan said. “Coming off of injury and trying to get back to a really, really elite level of pitching. Matchup-wise, Ken was a really strong matchup against this team and he came out and he threw ball well.

“There were some unfortunate breaks that didn’t go our way and didn’t go Ken’s way.”

Now needing just one out to get out of the third inning, Waldichuk hit a batter and then gave up a second two-run homer in the frame. He left the game after 2 ⅔ innings pitched with four runs allowed (one earned) on two hits with two strikeouts.