Aviators Survive Rainiers’ Rally on Thursday

April 28, 2023 – Pacific Coast League (PCL) – Tacoma Rainiers News Release

Las Vegas, NV – The Tacoma Rainiers (13-10) slipped to 1-2 on their road trip with a 9-7 setback to the Las Vegas Aviators (11-13) on Thursday night. The Rainiers look to avoid their first three-game losing streak of 2023 on Friday.

Tacoma scored first yet again (17th time in 23 games), and in the first inning. Cade Marlowe hit a one out double, and scored when Mike Ford lasered his seventh homer over the right field wall for a 2-0 lead. Las Vegas tied it immediately in the home first however. Nick Allen led off with a double, which led to a JJ Bleday RBI single and a Cody Thomas sac fly.

The Aviators soared to three triples on Thursday, the first of which by Kyle McCann drove in a run in the second. Zack Gelof had an RBI triple of his own in a two-run Vegas fourth, making the score 5-2.

The clubs traded single runs in the fifth. Rainiers catcher Jacob Nottingham crushed a homer to left to lead off, his third. Gelof had a run-scoring single in a three-hit Las Vegas frame.

Trailing 6-3 in the sixth, Tacoma scratched across a run after Ford (single) and Jake Scheiner (walk) led off by reaching base. Ford scored on a Mason McCoy sac fly. It was 8-4 Aviators in the seventh however; Pablo Reyes stroked the home side’s third triple, and a batter later Gelof’s third hit was a two-run homer to the right-center alley. The Vegas second baseman was on base forour times (walk), and scored three times.

Rainiers right-hander Jose Rodriguez battled through 5.1 IP (91 pitches) in the high altitude: 6 ER, 2 K.

Tacoma added a tally in the eighth; a Cooper Hummel leadoff walk scored on a Scheiner RBI knock. Las Vegas answered with a leadoff walk of their own which also scored; Allen crossed on a two-out double by Thomas, his second hit and RBI of the evening. Allen had three hits of his own.

The Rainiers again made it interesting in the ninth; eight batters went to the plate to score two runs and the bases were left loaded amidst some nervous moments for the Aviators. Taylor Trammell led off with a single, and later scored on a Ford single, his third hit of the night (on base 4x, BB, 3 RBI). Hummel walked again prior to Ford, and came home on an error off the bat of Scheiner. With two hits, Trammell had hit safely in all seven games of his rehab assignment (.360, 9-for-25).

The weeklong series continues on Friday with another 7:05 PT first pitch at Las Vegas Ballpark. Tacoma is back at the top of its…