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PCL1 Las Vegas Aviators

Bolt Delivers Walk-Off Hit, Aviators Rally Past Reno 4-3

July 1, 2019 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Las Vegas Aviators News Release


Coming off a 20-9 loss in which they watched the Reno Aces crack nine home runs, the Aviators desperately needed a strong bounce-back performance from their pitching staff Sunday night at Las Vegas Ballpark. They got exactly that, as starter Paul Blackburn and two relievers limited the Aces to just three runs and nine hits, only two of which went for extra bases.

On many a night, that would be more than enough for the Pacific Coast League's highest-scoring team to cruise to a convincing victory. However, Sunday was one of the rare instances when Las Vegas found itself on the wrong end of a pitchers' duel - at least until the bottom of the ninth inning.

Trailing 3-2 and having amassed just four hits against three Reno pitchers through the first eight innings, the Aviators woke up in the nick of time, scoring twice in their final at-bat to steal a 4-3 walk-off victory before a sellout crowd of 9,247. Skye Bolt delivered the deciding hit, ripping a single to left field off Reno relief pitcher Lucas Luetge (2-1) to score Chris Herrmann from third base.

Nick Martini started the rally by drawing a leadoff walk, then was replaced by pinch-runner Mark Payton, who scored the tying run one out later when Herrmann yanked Luetge's 2-2 pitch down the right-field line for a triple. Aces manager Chris Cron then wisely chose to intentionally walk Sheldon Neuse to set up a potential game-ending double play, but then was faced with a much more difficult decision: intentionally walk Bolt, who had doubled earlier in the game, to load the bases and take his chances with Eric Campbell, who was 0-for-3 with two strikeouts; or pitch to Bolt, a switch-hitter who is more productive from the left side but would be batting right-handed.

Cron chose the latter, and Bolt made him pay, drilling Luetge's 1-0 pitch down the left-field line. Herrmann basically walked home from third base, and the Aviators poured out of the dugout and mobbed Bolt, drenching him with a celebratory Gatorade bath.

"Hey, I'll take a Gatorade bath every night if it means we win like that," Bolt said.

It certainly didn't look like there would be much for the home team to celebrate going into the final inning.

After jumping out to a 2-0 lead on Dustin Fowler's first-inning home run and Martini's two-out RBI single in the third, Las Vegas' bats went silent against Reno starter Taylor Widener and relievers Robby Scott and Stefan Crichton - as in, completely silent. In fact, following Martini's single, the three Aces pitchers combined to retire 16 of 17 hitters through the end of the eighth inning, with 10 of those 16 outs being strikeouts.

The only Aviators player to reach base during that stretch was catcher Jonah Heim, who crushed a double off the top of the left-field wall with one out in the fifth. That was one of just two hits allowed by Widener, who entered the game with an 8.14 ERA but went five strong innings, walking just one while registering nine strikeouts.

Blackburn was just as sharp for Las Vegas. Making his first start since being named to the Triple-A All-Star Game last week, the right-hander held the Aces (37-45) off the scoreboard for the first four innings. But in the fifth, Blackburn allowed John Ryan Murphy to reach on a leadoff single, and two outs later, Domingo Leyba deposited a 1-0 fastball deep over the right-field wall to tie the score at 2-2. It was Leyba's seventh hit, third homer and eighth RBI in the first two games of the series.

After retiring Reno in order in the sixth inning, Blackburn departed the game, having allowed just six baserunners (five hits and a walk) while striking out five. However, the Aces broke the 2-2 tie in the seventh against Las Vegas right-hander Miguel Romero, who allowed a pair of one-out singles, followed by Abraham Almonte's sacrifice fly to deep center field.

Fowler made a terrific play to run down Almonte's fly ball and limit the damage to just one run. Then in the top of the ninth inning, Las Vegas right-hander Trey McNutt (2-1) pitched out of a bases-loaded jam, getting Kevin Cron - who leads the PCL in home runs and RBI - to hit a fly ball to right-center that Fowler once again chased down.

That kept the deficit at one run and set the stage for the walk-off heroics from Bolt, whose hit snapped the Aviators' modest two-game losing streak, the Aces five-game winning streak and evened the season series between the instate rivals at 5-5.

GAME NOTES: Herrmann's game-tying triple came in his final at-bat for Las Vegas, as the veteran catcher completed his rehabilitation assignment and will rejoin the Oakland A's on Monday. It's unclear who the A's will demote to Las Vegas to make room for Herrmann, who finished his 13-game rehab stint by going 17-for-51 (.333) with four home runs, one triple, three doubles and 13 RBI. ... Oakland closer Blake Treinen, who is on the 10-day injured list with a strained right shoulder, is expected to join the Aviators on a rehab assignment Monday. He's slated to pitch in just one game and be activated by the A's on Wednesday. ... Fowler's first-inning homer was his 14th of the season. He's now hit safely in 10 of the last 11 games in which he's had at least one official at-bat, going 18-for-46 (.391) with five home runs, four doubles, three triples, 19 runs scored and 16 RBI. ... Sunday's crowd was the 31st sellout in 42 games at Las Vegas Ballpark.

ON DECK: Right-hander Parker Dunshee (2-4, 6.25 ERA) is slated to take the mound for Las Vegas on Monday in the third game of the five-game Silver State Diamond Challenge series against Reno. The Aces will counter with their own right-hander, Matt Koch (1-5, 9.73). First pitch is at 7:05 p.m.

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