Aviators Complete Four-Game Sweep with 12-1 Rout of Memphis

More than four decades after his death, Elvis Presley remains the most prolific hitmaker to ever come out of Memphis. But after the hits they produced the last four days, the Las Vegas Aviators just might have vaulted to the No. 2 position behind The King.
In a matinee affair at AutoZone Park in Memphis, Dustin Fowler hit a grand slam and Sheldon Neuse went 4-for-4 as the Aviators capped their seven-game Tennessee road trip with a 12-1 victory. Not only did the win give Las Vegas (40-32) its first four-game sweep of the Redbirds in franchise history, but it marked the third consecutive game in which the Aviators scored double-digit runs.
After arriving in Memphis late Friday night having scored two runs or fewer in four of the previous six games (including a pair of losses in Nashville last week), Las Vegas pounded out a combined 46 runs and 59 hits against the Redbirds. Not only did the Aviators crank out at least 13 hits in all four victories, but they belted 11 doubles, two triples and six home runs, including two grand slams - one by Fowler on Tuesday, and one by Franklin Barreto on Monday.
Virtually everyone who swung a bat over the four-game set produced positive results - in fact, nine different players had at least one multi-hit game, with infielders Sheldon Neuse and Corban Joseph accomplishing the feat three times.
Among the highlights from the series:
- Neuse went 11-for-17 with a home run, seven runs, six RBI and three walks. Going back to Thursday's 9-4 win in Nashville, the third baseman has hit safely in six consecutive games, going 16-for-24 with a homer, eight RBI and nine runs. He recorded multiple hits in five of those contests to raise his average to a season-high .309.
- Joseph went 4-for-9, walked five times and scored five runs. He's now hit safely in five of six games (9-for-17) to raise his average to .365, which ranks second to Albuquerque's Yonathan Diaz (.377) in the entire Pacific Coast League.
- Barreto recorded at least one hit in every game, finishing 7-for-19 with two home runs, eight RBI and six runs. The infielder/outfielder has hit safely in 13 of the 16 games he's played in June, with eight home runs, 27 RBI and 19 runs scored.
- Shortstop Jorge Mateo went 6-for-20 with a double, triple, three walks, five runs and four RBI. Since May 27, Mateo has hit safely in 19 of 21 games, including the last six in a row.
- Outfielder Nick Martini combined to go 5-for-9 with five runs and three walks on Monday and Tuesday alone. Martini is now batting .348, having hit safely in 24 of his 29 games with the Aviators.
- And catcher Chris Herrmann, who is on a rehab assignment for the parent Oakland A's, went 5-for-12 with a homer, four runs, three RBI and two walks.
 
Not only did Las Vegas punish the baseball in Memphis, but they got two more outstanding starts from pitchers Parker Dunshee and Tyler Alexander. In Saturday's 8-4 series-opening win, Dunshee (2-4) held the Redbirds to two earned runs on two hits and two walks while striking out five over six innings. That marked the eighth straight game in which Aviators starters allowed two earned runs or fewer.
As good as Dunshee was, Alexander (4-3) was even better in Tuesday's series finale, scattering four hits and a walk while striking out four over six scoreless innings to pick up his third win in as many starts. Over those three outings, the southpaw has given up a total of four runs (one earned) on 12 hits and seven walks with 20 strikeouts in 17 innings, lowering his season ERA from 6.85 to 5.18.
 
After sweeping the Redbirds, Las Vegas is now just 4 1/2 games back of El Paso in the Southern Division of the PCL's Pacific Conference. Following Wednesday's league-wide off day, the Aviators will try to cut into that deficit a little more Thursday when they open a brief five-game homestand at Las Vegas Ballpark. The good news? All five games will be against the Sacramento River Cats, a team Las Vegas has dominated this season, winning nine of 11 meetings by the cumulative score of 68-37.
MARTINS TO COACH IN ALL-STAR GAME: As a team, the Aviators now rank second in the entire PCL in batting average, on-base percentage, hits, runs, RBI and doubles, and they're first in triples. So it's only fitting that hitting coach Eric Martins would get rewarded with a position on the bench in the Triple-A All-Star Game, and that's exactly what's happened.
Martins on Monday was selected as a member of the PCL's All-Star coaching staff, which will be led by River Cats manager Dave Brundage. Martins is in his fifth season as a hitting coach in the Oakland A's organization, spending the last four seasons in Triple-A.
The 32^nd annual Triple-A All-Star Game pitting the PCL against the International League is set for 7:05 p.m. July 10 at Southwest University Park in El Paso, Texas.
FROM THE FLIGHT DECK: With Tuesday's victory, the Aviators not only improved to 22-15 away from home, but they've now either won or split seven of their nine road series. … Several Las Vegas relievers also pitched well during the seven-game road trip, including Ben Bracewell, Ryan Dull, Kyle Lobstein, Norge Ruiz, J.B. Wendelken and closer Brian Schlitter. Combined, those six hurlers pitched posted a 1.90 ERA over 19 innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on 17 hits with an 18-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio. … Catcher Jonah Heim, who was called up from Double-A 10 days ago, is off to a solid start to his Triple-A career, going 8-for-18 in six games with a home run, two doubles, four RBI and four runs. … In addition to their recent success at the plate and on the mound, the Aviators have been nearly flawless on defense, committing just one error in their last five games. … Thursday's homestand opener against the River Cats is $2 Beer Night. First pitch is at 7:05 p.m.
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