Walk-off heartbreak: Aviators fall in Triple-A National Championship

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — In front of more than 10,000 fans at Las Vegas Ballpark, the Aviators nearly pulled off a storybook ending. Instead, their season ended in heartbreak.

Trailing 6-1 in the ninth inning, Las Vegas rallied to life. Bryan Lavastida drilled a three-run homer as part of a five-run surge that gave the Aviators a 7-6 lead. But in the bottom half, Jacksonville’s Jacob Berry connected on a two-run walk-off home run to give the Jumbo Shrimp an 8-7 win and the Triple-A national title.

“It had everything in this game that you wanted as far as excitement,” Jacksonville manager Daren Brown said. “So hopefully everybody got to enjoy it. I know we’re enjoying it right now.”

For Las Vegas, the result couldn’t overshadow what was a historic season. During the game, Aviators skipper Fran Riordan was named Pacific Coast League Manager of the Year for the third time in his career.

“I told the guys a little bit earlier they have a lot to be proud of. Nothing to bang their heads about… we won the first half, we won the PCL title, and we competed to the very end here in the Triple-A title.”

Fans echoed that pride. “They were always champions,” Aviators fan George Valdez said. “They kept winning, kept winning.” Another fan, Steve Keltie, noted the excitement of seeing Aviators called up to the majors: “Over the last half of the season, how many of these guys have been called up to the A’s? It’s been really cool.”

Las Vegas captured its first PCL championship since 1988 by sweeping Tacoma earlier this week, finishing the season with an 85-68 record. The run also highlighted the depth of the Athletics’ farm system — and offered a preview of what’s to come when the A’s move to Las Vegas in 2028.

“We did some things here in Las Vegas that haven’t been done in the history of professional baseball here,” Riordan said.