Isotopes jump Aviators early, win 7-2 at Las Vegas Ballpark

The Aviators never recovered from a rough opening stretch Friday night, falling 7-2 to the Albuquerque Isotopes at Las Vegas Ballpark.

Albuquerque put Las Vegas in an immediate hole, scoring four runs in the first inning against Mitch Barnett. Zac Veen lined a two-run single to left, Andrew Knizner followed with an RBI double and Cole Carrigg added a run-scoring single to cap the rally and make it 4-0.

The Isotopes tacked on another run in the second on a bases-loaded walk, then effectively put the game out of reach in the third when Nic Kent launched a two-run homer to left field. Kent’s third home run of the season extended the lead to 7-0.

Barnett was charged with seven runs on six hits and six walks over 2.1 innings. He struck out one and absorbed the loss, slipping to 2-1 on the season.

Bullpen Settles In

After the early damage, the Aviators bullpen gave the club a chance to regroup. Nick Hernandez worked 2.2 scoreless innings, Yunior Tur followed with three shutout frames and Stevie Emanuels tossed a clean ninth. The trio combined to allow just two hits over the final 6.2 innings.

Late Spark Not Enough

Las Vegas struggled to generate offense against Domingo Acevedo, who struck out nine over five scoreless innings in his season debut.

The Aviators finally broke through in the eighth. Tommy White opened the inning with a single before Bryan Lavastida connected on a two-run homer to left field, his second of the season, trimming the deficit to five.