Troy & Melendez Shine in Debut, Aces Split Series with Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The Reno Aces (11-22, 48-60) settled for a series split with the Las Vegas Aviators (14-19, 63-45), the Triple-A affiliate of the Athletics, this past week at Las Vegas Ballpark.

The BLC-Nine opened the series with an 8-2 win on Tuesday, powered by Albert Almora Jr., who went 3-for-4 with a double and a grand slam. The veteran outfielder set the tone early with a leadoff double to right, then delivered the biggest swing of the night in his next at-bat—a towering grand slam to right in the second inning that gave Reno a comfortable five-run lead. Andy Weber also had a strong night at the plate, going 3-for-5 with a double and two RBI. He drove in Almora with an RBI single in the first and later added an RBI double in the fourth to bring home A.J. Vukovich. On the mound, Casey Kelly earned his second win of the season, holding the Aviators to two runs over five innings. The veteran right-hander walked four and struck out two, continuing a solid stretch in which he’s allowed three runs or fewer in six of his last seven starts.

Reno kept things rolling on Wednesday night with a wild 10-9 victory. The game quickly turned into a slugfest, as both teams combined for 13 runs over the first two innings. The Aces took control in the third, taking advantage of several Aviators miscues—including a string of bases-loaded walks and a sacrifice fly. Cristian Pache delivered the biggest blow, launching a no-doubt two-run homer over the left-field wall to put Reno on the board in the second. It marked his first home run of the season. Juan Morillo secured the win with a scoreless ninth, notching his second save. Las Vegas bounced back to take the next two games, evening the series at 2-2 heading into the weekend.

They bounced back in Saturday’s matchup with a convincing 14-8 victory. Ivan Melendez made an unforgettable Triple-A debut, going 3-for-6 with a grand slam to center in the fourth inning. His explosive night sparked one of the most potent individual, offensive performances of the season. Khol Drake, also making his Aces debut after being acquired in the trade that sent Merrill Kelly to Texas, was impressive as he took the win. The lefty allowed four runs over 5 2/3 innings, including two homers by Willie MacIver, but was otherwise sharp in his Reno debut. AJ Vukovich continued his torrid stretch at the plate, finishing 2-for-4 with three RBI, including a two-run double in the fifth.

The Aces dropped Sunday’s finale, but top prospect Tommy Troy shined in his debut. The 12th overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft went 2-for-3 with two doubles and two RBI. He drove in Gavin Logan and Cristian Pache with a double in the second and came around to score Reno’s first run after drawing a walk and scoring on Seth Brown’s RBI double.

AJ Vukovich was a force throughout the series, going 11-for-24 (.458) with three doubles, two homers, and six RBI. Over his last 20 games, he’s slashing .387/.489/.653 with seven doubles, two triples, three home runs, and 15 RBI. He’ll carry a seven-game hitting streak into next week’s series.

The Aces continue their road trip Tuesday with the opener of a six-game set against the Tacoma Rainiers, the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. First pitch is scheduled for 12:05 p.m. on August 5.

Single-game tickets for the Reno Aces’ 2025 season are on sale at RenoAces.com, the Greater Nevada Field Ticket Office, or by texting “TIXX” to 21003. Season Memberships are available via RenoAces.com, texting “MEMBER” to 21003, or calling (775) 334-7000.

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