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One lone win in the series finale kept the Las Vegas Aviators from getting swept in the team’s most recent series against the Round Rock Express.
Las Vegas dropped the first two of three against Round Rock in a three-game series from Las Vegas Ballpark this past weekend.
Now, the team is 26-16 at home this season.
Also, the Aviators lost a three-game series at Round Rock earlier this week, making it a 2-4 week for the franchise against its Pacific Coast League East opponent.
Overall, Las Vegas is 4-6 in its last 10 games played.
Currently the team still sits in the first spot in the Pacific Coast League West, two and a half games ahead of the Reno Aces and seven and a half ahead of the Salt Lake Bees.
The first Monday game of the season is next for the club as the Oklahoma City Dodgers prepare to host the Aviators.
Las Vegas will head to Oklahoma City for a six-game series with the Dodgers.
First pitch is scheduled for 5:05 p.m. Monday night.
Oklahoma City is 47-31 this season and sit atop of the Pacific Coast League East division and are a half game away from the best record in all of Minor League Baseball.
Friday, L, 5-3
That makes it three straight losses for Las Vegas after dropping the series opener from Las Vegas Ballpark to Round Rock.
The Aviators lost, 5-3, to the Express to open a three-game weekend series from the desert.
A comeback effort fell just short for Las Vegas in its return home, even scoring a run in the ninth inning.
Two of the three runs scored by the Aviators came with two outs in the inning.
In the bottom of the fifth, right fielder Luis Barrera went first pitch swinging and hit his fourth home run of the year, this time a solo blast.
That one swing cut the once, 4-1 deficit, in half for the home team.
Third baseman Christian Lopes hit a double but would be left stranded after catcher Shea Langeliers struck out to end the frame.
It wasn’t all bad for Langeliers, who drove in Barrera on an RBI triple in the bottom of the first inning to tie the game at one apiece.
Langeliers would hit a double in the third inning and would drive in a run in the ninth inning on an RBI single. Shortstop Kevin Smith was plated on the swing.
He finished a homer shy of the cycle, going 3-for-5 with a single, double, triple, two RBI and a strikeout.
However, Round Rock did just enough in moments to take the first of three straight games beginning with a leadoff run that came around to score on an RBI groundout.
Pitcher Jared Koenig ran into serious trouble in the second inning after opening the frame with a flyout and groundout.
With two outs, Koenig was rattled for a double, walk and two straight RBI singles and finally allowed a fifth straight runner to reach after another single.
A mound visit settled him down before getting out of the inning.
The final two runs of the game came to pass on a two-run home run by the Express in the top of the fifth inning.
Koenig (4-3, 2.75 ERA) made his first start for the Aviators in a month after returning from a major-league stint.
He pitched six innings, giving up five runs on 10 hits while striking out two and walking one.
Koenig’s last Triple-A win was May 19.
Saturday, L, 8-6
Las Vegas battled back from being down three runs early to tie the game at five but it was a costly error that did the team in for good.
The Aviators were beaten, 8-6, in game two of three against the Round Rock Express.
An error by center fielder Christian Pache not only allowed a runner to reach base, two runs came across to score.
That was the team’s third error of the game. In addition, it costs reliever Garrett Acton his first loss of the season.
He allowed two runs on two hits in his one inning of work. Both runs were unearned.
Pache was one of the heroes of the game early on, knocking home a run on an RBI double in the fifth inning for his first Las Vegas RBI.
In addition, it was his second double of the game after picking up the first one in the first inning.
He went 2-for-4 with two doubles, an RBI, a run scored, two strikeouts and a walk. He is batting .429 since being demoted to Triple-A.
Eight of the nine Las Vegas batters recorded hits.
Designated hitter Dermis Garcia also recorded an RBI single in that same fifth inning to score Pache and cut the deficit to 5-4.
In the first inning, Garcia plated a run on an RBI sacrifice fly.
He went 1-for-4 with a single, two RBI and two strikeouts.
Catcher Shea Langeliers completed the comeback with a seventh inning solo home run with one out to tie it at five apiece.
That marked his 14th home run of the year along with his 37th RBI amidst a 1-for-5 night with a home run, RBI and run scored.
That was the second of the three Aviator home runs on the night as third baseman Matt Davidson got things started with the first one in the top of the fourth inning to get Las Vegas on the board.
He went 1-for-3 with a home run, RBI, run scored, strikeout and walk.
Left fielder Luis Barrera was responsible for the final longball with a solo blast in the ninth inning.
He went 1-for-4 with a home run, RBI, two runs scored, three strikeouts and a walk.
Reliever Brian Howard walked into trouble in the ninth inning after issuing three straight walks ended with a wild pitch to bring home the final Round Rock run.
Starter Jack Cushing pounded the strike zone during his 4 1/3-inning outing, giving up four runs on eight hits including two home runs.
He tossed 87 pitches in total with 57 being called for strikes, good for 65%.
Cushing (1-1, 11.30 ERA) did come one strikeout away from tying a season-high, recording six strikeouts. Five of the six were swinging.
Las Vegas pitching dished out 11 strikeouts while the batters were struck out 15 times on the other side.
Sunday, W, 12-7
In the series finale, Las Vegas scored runs in three straight innings featuring two five-run innings to take home a 12-7 win against Round Rock after trailing 3-0 in the early going.
It began in the third inning when the Aviators got the first three men in the inning to reach base. Two came around to score after a two-run single from right fielder Luis Barrera with two outs. At that point, the Express were up, 3-2.
An inning later, left fielder Dalton Kelly smacked a two-run home run over the fence with one out to knot the game at four apiece.
He wasn’t done yet as he hit another home run, this time for three runs, an inning later.
Kelly went 2-for-4 with a two home runs, five RBIs and two runs scored.
His first marked the first of four straight hits including three extra-base hits.
Third baseman Nate Mondou got in on the action with an RBI single. The following inning, he’d add to his stat line with a solo home run.
Mondou was perfect on the night, going 4-for-4 with three singles, a home run, two RBIs and three runs scored.
The final run-producing hit of the fourth inning came off the bat of second baseman Christian Lopes in the form of an RBI double.
He would be lifted from the game after being injured on the play.
Prior to that, Lopes was 3-for-3 with two singles, a double, an RBI and a run scored.
Round Rock was able to get the leadoff man on base in eight of the nine innings played with four coming around to score.
All four leadoff men reached against starter Zach Logue during his four-inning night where he allowed four runs on eight hits with two strikeouts and a walk.
Logue (1-1) had won his last two consecutive decisions prior to this no-decision.
Reliever Grant Holmes (1-1, 6.55 ERA) got the win after pitching around two hits in two innings of work while walking two and striking out one.