Nine-game homestand concludes with six Las Vegas victories

The season-opening homestand for the Las Vegas Aviators has ended and it included plenty of highs for the Fran Riordan-led group.

The club picked up six wins during its nine-game homestand to open the new year. That mark included two series wins for the Athletics Triple-A ball club including four wins against the Sacramento River Cats of the San Francisco Giants organization this past week.

Twenty-seven total runs were scored in the middle four games while the opener and finale saw Las Vegas explode in winning effort. The home team scored 25 combined runs in the opener and finale.

Up next, the Aviators are headed for their first road trip of the season. It will take them to Texas for a six-game series against the El Paso Chihuahuas of the San Diego Padres organization.

That series is scheduled to begin Tuesday, April 8 from Southwest University Park. First pitch is slated for 5:35 p.m.

Tuesday, W, 14-2

Pitcher Jacob Lopez was masterful in his first start of the season as part of a, 14-2, win for Las Vegas in the series opener against Sacramento.

Three of the first four outs of the game were strikeouts for Lopez. In the third inning, he struck out the side for six strikeouts his first time through the lineup. With one out recorded in the fourth, the River Cats got their first baserunner of the night after reaching on an error before happening again in the fifth.

Sacramento would get its first hit of the game with two outs in the fifth inning. It was an RBI double that scored the team’s first run of the game after falling behind, 6-0.

Lopez went 4.2 innings, giving up one unearned run on one hit with eight strikeouts and a walk.

While the Aviators’ starting pitcher didn’t walk many batters, the team’s offense drew 14. Center fielder Denzel Clarke plated two runs on a single after three straight two-out walks. He went 4-for-5 with three singles, a double, three RBI, two runs scored and a strikeout.

Left fielder Drew Avans followed it up with an RBI single to chase the opposing starter from the game. Later in the game, he’d homer as part of a 2-for-5 with a single, home run, two RBI and two runs scored.

Las Vegas batted around in the second, fifth and sixth innings. In addition, it sent at least six batters to the plate in six of its eight offensive innings.

After Avans’ home run, the Aviator offense exploded. Two batters later, designated hitter Nick Kurtz knocked a two-run dinger to join in on the action. An RBI single from third baseman Brett Harris made it, 10-1, in favor of the home team. He played in his first game as part of a rehab assignment from the Athletics.

Wednesday, W, 6-3

Back-to-back wins for Las Vegas to start a scheduled six games against Sacramento from Las Vegas Ballpark.

The home team scored all of its runs in the first three innings of the game, two runs in each.

Wake Forest product Nick Kurtz continued his fast start to Triple-A play with a two-run home run in the bottom of the first. An inning later he added an RBI single with two outs tallied to make it, 4-1, in favor of the Aviators.

Kurtz now has a five-game hit streak while leading the team in hitting with a .476 average. He also has three homers in his first five Triple-A games.

The remaining two runs were scored on an RBI sacrifice fly and a force out.

Pitcher Jason Alexander made his Las Vegas debut, entering the same organization where his brother, Scott, played last season. The veteran had the first run of the season scored against him on an error in the second inning. Sacramento’s second run of the game came across on an RBI groundout.

Alexander was done after a strikeout and a single in the fourth inning. He went 3 ⅓ innings, with two runs allowed (one earned) on three hits with three strikeouts versus no walks.

In relief, the Aviators’ bullpen coughed up a run on four hits in 5.2 innings of work to go along with eight strikeouts and two walks.

Pitcher Ben Bowden got the win while fellow relievers Hogan Harris and Grant Holman added a hold and save respectively.

Good thing the bullpen buckled down because the Las Vegas offense would soon go cold. It suffered its first 1-2-3 inning in the fourth frame before having eight straight batters sat down in order between the fifth and seventh innings.

Even in the winning effort, the Aviators struck out 11 times.

Thursday, L, 4-2 F/10

Opening day starter J.T. Ginn had it going again in his second start of the season but it would later fall flat as Las Vegas lost its first game of the series in extra innings.

Ginn struck out the side in the top of the fourth inning to match and then surpassed the eight strikeouts he recorded in the team’s opener against Reno. An inning later, he’d tally a fourth straight strikeout before a one-out single counted as the first Sacramento baserunner since the first inning.

By the time he’d be pulled from the mound, Ginn set a new career-high with 11 strikeouts and did so in the last 13 batters he faced.

The River Cats had to pick and choose it’s spots against a game Ginn. With two outs in the first, the visitors opened the scoring with an RBI double. That marked the first time in the series that the Aviators trailed.

Sacramento’s second and final run scored off Ginn came on a wild pitch. He would leave the game after pitching six full innings with two runs allowed on four hits with those 11 strikeouts to just one walk.

Once again, the bullpen came in and kept things together as best it could beginning with right-hander Tyler Baum. He loaded the bases in the seventh on a walk, single and another walk. He’d get out of the situation with a fielder’s choice, flyout and strikeout.

Reliever Ryan Cusick got out of danger an inning later by trusting his defense. He struck out back-to-back batters after walking the leadoff man. He’d serve up a single right after but the runner would be tossed out at home plate. Runners were out at the plate on two separate occasions in the two-run loss.

Ultimately, the game-winning runs came across in extras on an RBI sacrifice bunt and an RBI single.

Center fielder Denzel Clarke originally tied the game in the seventh inning via a two-out triple to plate two runs. It would stay that way until extra innings.

Las Vegas’ offense stalling early did the pitching staff no good. First baseman Willie MacIver was responsible for the team’s first hit of the game in the third inning.

MacIver played in place of late scratch Nick Kurtz, counting as his first missed Triple-A game.

Friday, W, 6-4

The Aviators bounced back from their first loss of the series by taking control of this one late in the game.

With the game tied at four apiece, catcher Willie MacIver broke the tie with a one-out RBI single. He now has a hit in four of his first five games played this season.

Two batters later, left fielder Drew Avans added another run on another RBI single for the home team as part of a 3-for-3 night with three singles, an RBI, a run scored, a stolen base and a walk. He was responsible for the team’s first hit which came in the bottom of the third and also opened the fifth with a single to spark a comeback effort.

Avans was driven in on a two-run double by first baseman Nick Kurtz after he missed yesterday’s game as part of a late scratch. He now has at least one hit in each of his first six Triple-A games.

Teammate Darell Hernaiz tied the game at three with an RBI single immediately following Kurtz from his No. 3 spot in the lineup. Number 4 hitter, C.J. Alexander, gave the team its first lead on a third consecutive run-producing hit.

Starting pitcher Mason Barnett found himself in danger early behind a two-on, one out situation. He got out of the inning with a strikeout, outfield assist to tag a runner at home plate and a groundout.

Barnett wouldn’t be so lucky in the third inning after a leadoff single was compounded with a two-run homer soon after. Sacramento would launch a leadoff home run in the fourth inning to take a, 3-0, lead.

Even still, that big fifth inning put Barnett in line for the win. He’d no longer be in line for the victory by the seventh inning after the River Cats tied the game at four apiece. The game-tying run was scored off reliever Carlos Duran, who was making his Aviator debut.

After regaining the lead, Duran and fellow reliever Ben Bowden combined to walk the first two batters in the eighth inning. A force out and double play would get Bowden out of the inning, securing the win.

Duran would get the win in his debut while righty Grant Holman picked up his second save of the season.

Saturday, L, 2-0

With a chance to capture a fourth win in the series, Las Vegas was shutout for the first time this season in a, 2-0, loss to Sacramento.

Pitcher Gunnar Hoglund made his second start of the year after working four innings and getting a no-decision during the team’s first series of the season. The River Cats opened the day with a bunt single before back-to-back strikeouts and a runner caught stealing ended the inning.

In the third inning, Sacramento broke into the score column with a two-run home run in the eventual defensive battle. The first walk of the game for either side didn’t come until the fourth inning.

The deficit never grew behind timely pitching for the home team. Following a leadoff single in the seventh, pitcher Tanner Dodson struck out the next batter and got the remaining two to popout and flyout to avoid any more runs.

As a team, Las Vegas retired the last nine batters it faced.

There was little to no offensive help for the Aviators as it squandered the few chances presented to score. Back-to-back singles opened the second inning but a popout and double play would close the scoring chance.

Another leadoff man would be left stranded at third base in the fifth inning following back-to-back groundouts and a strikeout. Eventually, the Aviators would go 11 straight at-bats without a hit.

Las Vegas didn’t draw a walk and found itself retired in order four times.

Right fielder Colby Thomas and designated hitter Logan Davidson produced much of the team’s offense on the night from the fourth and fifth spots in the Aviator lineup. The pair combined to go 4-for-8 with four singles and two strikeouts in the loss.

Thomas now has a six-game hit streak while Davidson is now 6-for-16 in the series. Both players served as the final two outs of the game.

Sunday, W, 11-4

A narrow one-run lead was turned into a lopsided finish behind a strong eighth inning for Las Vegas.

Having logged just three games so far this season, second baseman Alejo Lopez had his biggest game as an Aviator.

Lopez tied the game at two with an RBI single in the bottom of the second for his first RBI of the season. He nearly had a second on the same hit but teammate Willie MacIver was thrown out at home plate.

Later in the contest, Lopez would secure a second RBI on another single to give the home team a, 4-3, lead. It goes down as his first multi-hit game of the season during a 3-for-4 night with three singles, two RBI, a run scored and a strikeout.

First baseman Nick Kurtz and center fielder Drew Avans continued their hot stretches during the series finale combining for four hits, three RBI and three runs scored.

Kurtz pulled a home run for the first time in his Triple-A career for his fourth total dinger on the year. His first three longballs went to the opposite field. He now has at least one hit in all eight games played this season.

Avans scored runs in the seventh and eighth innings on two separate RBI singles. The latter came as part of a six-run explosion in the eighth by the home team. He recorded seven of his nine RBI in the six games against Sacramento.

Right-hander Jake Walkinshaw got the spot start before turning the ball over to originally scheduled starter Jacob Lopez after the first inning. Walkinshaw found himself in a two-on, one out situation before a double play got him out the inning following a mound visit from pitching coach Paul Abbott.

Sacramento would briefly take the lead with Lopez on the mound via a two-run triple with just one out recorded in the second inning. Two innings later, the visitors would tie the game at three with a solo home run hit off Lopez.

However, the pitching buckled down when it needed to including getting out of the next two innings unscathed despite allowing the leadoff man to reach.

Lopez went on to get his first win of the season after working five relief innings of six-hit ball while giving up four runs to go along with four strikeouts and two walks.