Red-hot Schwindel powers Aviators past Reno, 8-3

A big reason why baseball has endured as America’s pastime for 140 years is the fact it’s the ultimate team sport, one that requires contributions from everyone on the roster — regardless of position — to achieve sustained success.

Unlike in a sport such as basketball, it’s rare for a baseball player to lift an entire team on his back and carry it to glory. Rare ... but not impossible, as Aviators first baseman Frank Schwindel proved yet again Friday night against the Reno Aces.

Schwindel homered in his fourth consecutive game, a three-run, opposite-field blast with two outs in the seventh inning that broke open a tight game and lifted the Aviators to an 8-3 victory before a season-high Fireworks Night crowd of 9,568 at Las Vegas Ballpark.

Having entered Friday on a 7-for-13 tear over his previous three games, Schwindel continued his torrid hitting, going 3-for-4 as he preceded his game-sealing home run with a second-inning double and a fifth-inning single.

The 28-year-old who was drafted in the 18th round by the Kansas City Royals in 2013 is now 10-for-17 with five homers, three doubles, seven runs and eight RBI in his last four contests.

Of course, this isn’t a sudden, out-of-nowhere hot streak — quite the contrary. Schwindel has been Las Vegas’ most reliable and productive hitter through the first five weeks of the 2021 campaign — a statement that’s backed up by his stats: Following Friday’s three-hit outburst, Schwindel now leads all active Aviators’ hitters with a .322 batting average, 10 homers, 39 hits and 28 runs (and his 22 RBI are tied for the team lead with catcher Francisco Peña).

“Frank has been so consistent in the middle of our lineup all year,” Aviators manager Fran Riordan said. “He’s the rare breed who has all the power in the world but also is accurate with the barrel, takes his hits and when you make a mistake, he will make you pay more often than not. He’s got all the trademarks of a great hitter.”

One night after squandering a 4-2 mid-game lead and eventually falling 7-5 to Reno, Las Vegas (17-15) dug itself an early hole Friday, falling behind 1-0 and 2-1. Those deficits were erased, however, when the Aviators scored a run in the second and plated four more in the fourth to grab a 5-2 lead. Outfielder Cody Thomas delivered the big blow in the inning, following Nate Mondou’s two-out RBI single with a three-run homer to right field.

The Aces (20-12) threatened to regain the lead in the top of the seventh, loading the bases with nobody out. But left-handed reliever Adam Kolarek got out of trouble when he induced Aces second baseman Andrew Young to bounce into a double play (which scored Reno’s final run), then retired catcher Daulton Varsho on a grounder to shortstop to end the inning.

That set the stage for Schwindel to tack on some insurance runs. Following a one-out walk to Luis Barrera and a two-out walk to Jacob Wilson, the Aviators’ cleanup hitter deposited Nick Gardewine’s 1-0 pitch into Reno’s bullpen in right-center field.

Las Vegas reliever Miguel Romero took over from there, allowing just two hits in two scoreless innings to preserve his team’s fourth victory in the last five contests — a victory that pulled the Aviators back to within three games of first-place Reno in the West Division of Triple-A West.

GAME NOTES: Besides Schwindel, three other Las Vegas batters finished with multiple hits: Barrera went 3-for-4 with a walk and a run scored; Vimael Machín went 2-for-4 with a run, RBI and a walk; and Thomas went 2-for-4, adding an eighth-inning double to his three-run homer. … The final three batters in the Aviators’ lineup (Machín, Mondou and Thomas) combined to go 5-for-12 with a homer, three runs and five RBI. … Las Vegas starting pitcher Matt Milburn surrendered two runs on five hits and a walk in 3 2/3 innings, striking out three. After Milburn departed, four relievers — Tanner Anderson, Ben Bracewell, Kolarek and Romero — limited Reno to just five hits, two walks and a run over the final 5 1/3 innings. Anderson (one walk in 1 1/3 hitless innings) earned the victory, improving to 3-0 on the season while lowering his ERA to 2.84. ... One night after going 1-for-15 with runners in scoring position and leaving 12 runners on base in a 7-5 loss to the Aces, Las Vegas went 5-for-9 with runners in scoring position and stranded seven runners. … Varsho started the scoring with a homer in the top of the first, giving Reno five home runs in the first two games of the series.

INJURY REPORT: Aviators infielders Mikey White (broken hand) and Edwin Diaz (oblique) were placed on the seven-day injured list. Outfielder Buddy Reed (torn hand ligament) is expected to join White and Diaz on the IL in the coming days. Meanwhile, left-handed reliever Reymin Guduan, who was designed for assignment by the Oakland A's after coming off the major-league injured list, cleared waivers and was outrighted to Las Vegas.

ON DECK: Grant Holmes (0-1, 11.86 ERA) returns to the mound for the Aviators on Saturday looking to pick up his first victory of 2021. He’s slated to face fellow right-hander Humberto Mejia (0-1, 4.26) in the third game of the six-game series against the Aces. First pitch is at 7:05 p.m.

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