Sacramento deals Aviators fourth straight loss, 12-3

Long before the first rocket shot skyward to kick off Friday’s postgame fireworks extravaganza at Las Vegas Ballpark, a festive crowd of 8,416 was treated to a bunch of on-field fireworks. Unfortunately for those fans, it was the visiting Sacramento River Cats — not the Aviators — who put on the electrifying show.

The River Cats exploded for seven first-inning runs — six of which scored before the game’s first out was recorded — and cruised to their second consecutive lopsided victory over Las Vegas, this one by a score of 12-3.

The Aviators (23-27) have now followed a four-game winning streak but losing six of their last seven, including four in a row. The first two games of their six-game series against Sacramento have been particularly ugly, as they’ve been outscored 22-5 and outhit 29-9.

Friday’s contest was essentially over moments after it began, as the River Cats (22-27) pounced on Aviators starting pitcher Jesús Luzardo right out of the gate, sending 12 men to the plate in the first inning. The first eight batters in Sacramento’s lineup reached base safely — on five hits, two walks and a hit batter — before Luzardo recorded his first out, and the first seven ended up scoring.

The last of those runs came courtesy of Mauricio Dubón’s second single of the inning, which ended Luzardo’s night after just 40 pitches.

The River Cats tacked on two runs in the third to boost their lead to 9-0, and by the end of the inning they were outhitting Las Vegas 10-1 in the game and 25-3 in the first two games of the series. The Aviators’ offense finally came alive in the fourth, loading the bases on consecutive one-out singles by first baseman Carlos Pérez and second baseman Vimael Machín, followed by Sacramento third baseman Jason Vosler’s fielding error.

However, River Cats starting pitcher Tyler Beede escaped the jam when he retired Las Vegas outfielders Luis Barrera and Cody Thomas on a force out and strikeout, respectively.

The Aviators managed to break through an inning later, thanks to designated hitter Austin Allen’s one-out RBI double and Pérez’s two-out RBI single. The latter hit loaded the bases, but once again, Las Vegas failed to fully capitalize, as Barrera hit a groundball behind first base and lost a footrace to the bag by an eyelash.

The Aviators wouldn’t come close to crossing home plate again until Jacob Wilson snapped his team’s four-inning scoring drought with a one-out RBI double in the bottom of the ninth. By then, Sacramento left fielder Braden Bishop had put the game well out of reach with a three-run homer in the top of the ninth that gave the River Cats double-digit runs for the second straight night.

GAME NOTES: Aviators left-fielder Greg Deichmann reached base safely in four of his five plate appearances, following a first-inning single with three walks. He now has 39 walks on the season, which leads all of Triple-A West (formerly the Pacific Coast League). … Allen extended his hitting streak to 10 games with his RBI double. He’s batting .349 (15-for-43) during the streak. … Dubón paced the River Cats’ 13-hit attack, going 4-for-5 with a double, walk, two runs and two RBI, while Bishop went 3-for-6 with his three-run homer and three runs scored. … Luzardo, who entered the night with a 3.38 ERA in three starts with Las Vegas, lasted just two-thirds of an inning and was charged with all seven first-inning runs. Both outs he recorded were strikeouts. … Las Vegas has tallied just 10 runs and 20 hits during its four-game losing skid. … Through 26 dates at Las Vegas Ballpark this season, the Aviators have welcomed 159,198 fans (average of 6,123 per game).

NO DOUBTING THOMAS: After a dismal first month of the 2021 season, Thomas caught fire at the plate in June — and the powers-that-be within Triple-A West took notice Friday, naming the Aviators’ outfielder the league’s Player of the Month.

In 25 games, Thomas hit .313 (31-for-99) and led all Triple-A West hitters with 11 home runs, 28 RBI, 74 total bases and a .747 slugging percentage. He also ranked second in the league with 24 runs and two triples, and had multiple hits in nine games and multiple RBI in eight games.

Since May 30, the 26-year-old Texas native has hit safely in 22 of 28 contests, raising his season batting average from .171 to .274.

ON DECK: Daulton Jefferies (2-0, 5.28 ERA), who is the Oakland A’s top right-handed pitching prosect, is scheduled to return to the mound for the Aviators on Saturday in the third game of the six-game series against Sacramento. First pitch is at 7:05 p.m., with the second of two straight fireworks show set to follow the game.

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