51s deadlocked atop division down stretch

They may or may not make the postseason, but if the 51s don't, it won't be from a lack of effort.

Las Vegas battled back from a 7-2 second-inning deficit to defeat the Tacoma Rainiers 8-7 Saturday at Cashman Field to keep pace in the Pacific Coast League's Pacific Southern Division with the El Paso Chihuahuas, who swept a doubleheader from the Reno Aces, 10-0 and 4-2.

Danny Muno's two-out ground ball with two on in the bottom of the ninth was bobbled by Rainiers third baseman Leury Bonilla and trickled into left field, allowing Travis Taijeron to score from second base with the winning run and complete the comeback.

Both the 51s and the Chihuahuas are 77-65 with two games remaining. The winner of the division will face Fresno in the opening round of the playoffs beginning Wednesday in Fresno, Calif. If the teams end up tied, El Paso would advance because the Chihuahuas own the first tiebreaker — head-to-head competition — having won the season series from Las Vegas.

Dilson Herrera, one of the few 51s to wield a hot bat the past week, singled off reliever J.C. Ramirez with the bases loaded and two out the eighth to drive in two runs and tie the game at 7. Ramirez took the loss, falling to 1-2 after Muno's ninth-inning heroics.

It looked like it would be a long night for the 51s as starter Darin Gorski had a rough start. He failed to survive the second inning as a 2-1 Las Vegas lead quickly became a 7-2 deficit as the Rainiers batted around. Jesus Montero's three-run home run was the highlight of a six-run outburst that chased Gorski, putting the Fan Appreciation Night crowd of 9,290 in a foul mood.

The 51s got to Tacoma starter Mike Montgomery with Herrera's two-run homer to left field in the second cutting the Rainiers' lead to 7-4. It would have been 9-4 had Herrera not made a leaping grab of Daniel Paolini 's line drive at second base with two on and two out in the fifth.

Meanwhile, Montgomery settled down and didn't allow a hit from the the third until Kyle Johnson's leadoff double to right-center in the seventh. But he was chased after Herrera legged out an infield single as the 51s tried to rally. However, the 51s managed to score just once as Josh Rodriguez's fielder's choice grounder scored Johnson from third, leaving the deficit at 7-5.

But that turned out to be the prelude for Herrera's heroics in the eighth as he laced Ramirez's 99-mph fastball up the middle to tie it.

John Church (7-3) held the Rainiers at bay in the top of the ninth, setting the stage for Muno to be the ultimate hero.

NOTES — Las Vegas center fielder Brandon Nimmo was held out of Saturday's game after he crashed into the center field wall in the ninth inning of Friday night's 9-4 win and hurt his left knee. Nimmo is listed as day-to-day. Kyle Johnson started in Nimmo's place Saturday. ... Logan Verrett (5-2, 4.10 ERA) starts for the 51s at 7:05 tonight against veteran Chien-Ming Wang (3-5, 6.00). ... Monday's season finale starts at 12:05 p.m.

-- Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 70-387-2913. Follow him: @stevecarprj