Back-to-back losses again to close another series won by the Aviators

Baseball in a pressure cooker as the playoff race heats up in the Pacific Coast League.

The Las Vegas Aviators took four of a scheduled six games away from the Round Rock Express of the Texas Rangers organization. For the second straight series, the club lost the final two games of the set.

As a result, Las Vegas is now 31-31 in the second half with two more series remaining in the regular season. There is still time for the team to secure its first playoff bid since 2019.

It will now move on to take on Albuquerque on the road for six games beginning Tuesday, Sept. 10. That will serve as the Aviators’ final road trip of the season.

Tuesday, W, 5-1

Seven shutout innings powered by starter Brandon Bielak led the Aviators to a win in the first of a scheduled six against the Express. That also ended a two-game losing streak.

Bielak muscled through the first four innings of his outing, skirting around danger as it rarely even came. He worked around a leadoff double in the top of the second with a strikeout looking, groundout and fly out.

Two innings later, a leadoff walk would be retired in a caught stealing situation. Bielak would finish out the inning with a pop out and strikeout. Through the first four innings of the game, he had retired 11 of the 13 batters he faced.

In his final two innings on the mound, Bielak averted more trouble in both frames. Another leadoff double was left stranded in the fifth after he picked up another strikeout and induced back-to-back groundouts.

Bielak (3-3) got the win after working six innings, allowing four hits while striking out five.

The lone Round Rock run of the game came in the top of the eighth inning on three straight one-out singles. That came with reliever Jack O’Loughlin on the bump.

With such a strong pitching performance put forth, Las Vegas hitting only needed a couple runs and it got them in a big way.

Catcher Carlos Perez hit a grand slam in the bottom of the third inning to open the scoring and make it 4-0 in favor of the home team.

Teammate Ryan Noda also went yard for a solo shot in the home half of the seventh.

Both Perez and Noda now have 22 home runs apiece on the season.

Wednesday, W, 6-2

It took a big seventh inning to break a tie and give the Aviators a second straight win over the Express from Las Vegas Ballpark.

With the game tied at two, Las Vegas’ half of the seventh inning started with a single, hit-by-pitch, RBI single, walk, RBI hit-by-pitch and two-run double all before the first out.

Designated hitter Carlos Perez was responsible for the two-run double in the frame to push the lead to 6-2.

The RBI single was hit by left fielder Hoy Park during his 3-for-4 day with two singles, a double, an RBI, two runs scored, a strikeout and a walk.

Starting pitcher Robert Dugger left the game after taking a deflected ball on a line drive in the fourth inning. After going up a leadoff double, he served up a single that went back up the middle and made contact with him. That would be his last batter faced on the day.

Earlier in his outing, Dugger gave up two runs in the top of the first inning on an RBI single and RBI sacrifice fly. However, that would be the only real trouble of his day as he went three-plus innings, giving up two runs on three hits with two strikeouts and three walks.

With Dugger out, the bullpen provided a boost beginning with reliever Austin Pruitt getting out of the fourth inning with three strikeouts while sprinkling in an intentional walk.

In total, the Aviators bullpen went six shutout innings without giving up a hit while allowing just three base runners, all walks. It also tallied four strikeouts.

Reliever Pedro Santos got the win as he improved to 2-2 on the year.

Thursday, W, 11-2

Things got rolling in the sixth inning as it turned into a one-sided slugfest on the way to an 11-2 win for Las Vegas. That marked the third straight win for the group as it continues along its playoff chase.

It was an extremely slow start for the home team after it was sat down in order the first three times up. The team’s first baserunner didn’t come until a leadoff walk to start the bottom of the fourth.

An inning later, the Aviators tallied their first hit of the game on the way to back-to-back knocks but first baseman Yohel Pozo would be thrown out at home attempting to score.

Everything changed in the sixth and seventh innings for Las Vegas beginning with a two-run home run from designated hitter Tyler Soderstrom to get the team on the board.

From there, the floodgates were open with a single to follow forcing a pitching change. Catcher Carlos Perez got to the reliever right away with the second two-run homer of the inning for the home team still with no outs.

Shortstop Darell Hernaiz did the unthinkable and smacked the team’s third two-run home run of the frame to really break the game open. In the bottom of the sixth, Las Vegas went from trailing 2-0 to leading 6-2.

Feeling the need for more, the Aviators hit two more home runs in the seventh inning. Second baseman Logan Davidson hit the team’s fourth two-run shot of the night while Perez added his second dinger of the night a batter later.

With pitcher Brady Basso getting called up there was a last-minute switch to the rotation causing right-handler Wander Guante to get the nod. Four of the first outs during his outing were strikeouts.

Guante gave up a two-run home run in the first but that served as his only real danger of the day. He’d go 3 ⅔ innings with two runs on four hits with five strikeouts and three walks.

Reliever Gerardo Reyes (4-1) would get the win after pitching two shutout innings of hitless ball, tallying three strikeouts and two walks.

Friday, W, 4-3

After being grounded early by opposing pitcher Kumar Rocker, Las Vegas came away with a 4-3 victory for a fourth straight win over Round Rock. The team found itself down, 3-2 in the seventh inning before staging a comeback to preserve the outing for lefty Kyle Muller.

Down by a run, the Aviators loaded the bases with nobody out ahead of a two-run single by center fielder Cooper Bowman. That gave the home team its first lead since the fifth inning.

Bowman went 2-for-3 with a single, double and two RBI.

Rocker had Las Vegas rocking his first couple of times through the lineup on his way to eight strikeouts in five innings.

The red-hot Carlos Perez led off the bottom of the second with a double for the team’s first hit. He’d eventually score on an RBI groundout to make it 1-0 in favor of the home team.

Soon after falling behind 2-1, left fielder Colby Thomas went yard with one out in the fifth to tie it at two apiece.

Friday was the first time this series that Round Rock scored in more than one inning in a game. It was a strong start from Muller behind a perfect first trip through the Express lineup.

A leadoff home run in the fourth inning broke up Muller’s early perfect game bid. He’d suffer the same fate in the fifth inning to fall behind 2-1.

Muller came out relatively unscathed in the outing despite serving up a double and single to start. He’d only allow one run to score on an RBI sacrifice fly.

In all, he went seven strong innings with three runs allowed on five hits with six strikeouts and a walk. He is now 1-1 this year.

Pitcher Joe Boyle got the two-inning save for his first of the season.

Saturday, L, 4-2

Facing a future Hall-of-Famer during a rehab start, Las Vegas dropped its first game of the series in a low-scoring affair from Las Vegas Ballpark.

Pitcher Max Scherzer did work on the mound for Round Rock in order to pick up its first win of the series. It started fast for the World Series winning right-hander with three straight strikeouts. He’d accomplish the feat again in the third inning. To that point, he had yet to give up a hit while accumulating seven strikeouts.

In the bottom of the fourth, a two-out intentional walk (plus a stolen base) and a hit-by-pitch gave the Aviators their best chance to score their first run of the game. In that spot, designated hitter Ryan Noda struck out looking.

Scherzer didn’t give up a hit in his four shutout innings as he picked up eight strikeouts versus a lone walk.

While it was spaced out, the Express got their run support in key spots. The day’s scoring began with back-to-back first inning doubles with one out to make 1-0 visitors. Two innings later, the team would strike again with one out, this time a solo home run for a 2-0 start.

Las Vegas would ultimately fall behind 4-0 after Round Rock launched another solo shot in the fifth inning and then adding another run on an RBI sacrifice fly in the sixth.

Through the first five innings, Aviator pitching had allowed seven hits but four of them went for extra-bases including two home runs by first baseman Blaine Crim.

Pitcher Blake Beers earned his first decision of the year in his six-inning start, giving up four runs on nine hits with seven strikeouts and a walk.

In the bottom of the seventh, Las Vegas recorded its third baserunner of the night but had still yet to find success in the hit column.

An inning later, right fielder Colby Thomas put the team on the board with a one-out solo home run to count as the team’s first hit.

Noda would drive in the final run of the game on an RBI single with two outs in the ninth.

Sunday, L, 9-6

For a second straight series, the Aviators have dropped their Sunday series finale. It’s also the second straight series that ends with back-to-back losses for the club.

In a back-and-forth affair, Las Vegas lost the lead for good in the seventh inning behind three runs from the visitors. A single, a walk and an RBI single all happened before the first out was secured.

Two more runs would cross on an RBI single and fielder’s choice.

It was a spot start for pitcher Austin Pruitt and he had a knack for getting out of jams starting early in this one. The first inning opened with a leadoff walk and single before a double play and strikeout would get him out the frame.

Pruitt wouldn’t last long in the spot start scenario but he’d allow the first of three straight one-out singles in the second to put Round Rock on the board. Reliever Wander Guante would issue two more RBI singles, dropping Las Vegas into its first deficit of the night.

The first four Aviator pitchers combined to give up eight runs on 16 hits in 6.1 innings of work with six strikeouts and four walks. Reliever Pedro Santos got the loss to fall to 2-3 this year.

Designated hitter Tyler Soderstrom kept his strong hitting start up along his rehab trail, hitting a two-run home run in the bottom of the first to net Las Vegas its first lead of the game at 2-0.

Teammate Colby Thomas would also go yard for two runs later in the game.

Soderstrom wasn’t done along his 2-for-3 night with a single, home run, three RBI, a run scored and two walks. That RBI single came in the bottom of the sixth with two outs to tie the game at five apiece.