No. 9 hitter’s big swing puts Aviators 1 win away from PCL title — PHOTOS

Aviators outfielder Ryan Lasko (35) is congratulated on a run by teammate catcher Daniel Susac ...

Ryan Lasko didn’t play with the Aviators in the first half of the season, when the team won the Pacific Coast League first-half title.

But the No. 9 hitter came up with a big swing Tuesday to help Las Vegas get one step closer to a PCL championship.

Lasko hit a 412-foot two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth inning to break a scoreless tie in Game 1 of the Aviators’ best-of-three PCL championship series at Las Vegas Ballpark. His team went on to beat the second-half champion Tacoma Rainiers 7-1.

“The first game of a three-game series is pretty important and we played a pretty perfect baseball game there,” Aviators manager Fran Riordan said. “To come out with the win, to play as well as we did, to have the performances individually and as a team that we had tonight, hopefully we keep that mojo and those vibes going into tomorrow’s game.”

Game 2 is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Wednesday at Las Vegas Ballpark. The Aviators will advance to Saturday’s Triple-A championship game at Las Vegas Ballpark against the International League champion with a win.

“We talk about it all the time, playing with a clean slate,” Riordan said. “The only thing that matters is today and I thought we did a good job of that. The guys really performed when the stakes were the highest.”

The Aviators got a strong start from right-hander Kade Morris on Tuesday. He went seven innings and allowed four hits and one run with two walks and two strikeouts on 94 pitches to earn the win.

“It’s a culmination of a lot of hard work that Kade has put in,” Riordan said. “It’s a lot of hard work that (pitching coaches Paul Abbott and Don Schulze) have put in and the maturation process of a young guy. … To see him go out and throw seven innings of one-run ball, it’s pretty impressive compared to how he started the year.”

Lasko and No. 8 hitter Daniel Susac gave the Aviators an offensive punch. Lasko went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and three RBIs, which included an RBI triple in the bottom of the seventh. The Aviators scored three runs that inning to go ahead 5-1.

Susac, the catcher who was activated earlier Tuesday after missing two weeks with an oblique injury, was 3-for-4 with two runs scored. He had an RBI single in the seventh and scored on Lasko’s RBI triple.

“We did not know what we were going to get out of Daniel tonight. He hadn’t seen a live pitch in three weeks,” Riordan said. “For him to come out and go 3-for-4, just a fantastic effort and just really speaks to his mental toughness.”

The Aviators got a boost before the game started when the Athletics sent down center fielder Denzel Clarke on a rehab assignment Tuesday.

Clarke, like he often did in the majors, made a standout defensive play in the first inning. He sprinted toward a fly ball in center field and made a leaping catch against the wall to end the frame.

Susac helped the Aviators’ offense get going in the fifth inning with a two-out single. That brought up Lasko, who swung on a 2-2 slider and ripped it to left field. The ball cleared the ballpark and hit neighboring City National Arena to put Las Vegas ahead 2-0.

“You can’t say enough about his mindset as far as being ready for the moment when the lights were pretty bright,” Riordan said. “He played his best game of the year. That speaks to his talent and his readiness.”

Tacoma got on the board in the sixth inning when leadoff hitter Samad Taylor hit a solo home run down the left field line that was just fair to cut the deficit to 2-1.

Las Vegas designated hitter Nick Martini had an RBI double in the bottom of the eighth to score Bryan Lavastida, and Martini later scored on a wild pitch to put the Aviators up 7-1.

Tacoma starter Jhonathan Diaz went six innings and allowed four hits and two runs with six strikeouts on 89 pitches.

Las Vegas is expected to send right-hander Aaron Brooks (3-6, 5.78 ERA) to the mound in Game 2. Tacoma is projected to counter with right-hander Logan Evans (1-3, 5.32).

“A new season again tomorrow. … We got a veteran guy in Aaron Brooks and I think he’s ready for it,” Riordan said. “We have a lot of guys that are fresh in the (bullpen).”

Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.

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