OKC beats Aviators 7-2, forces Game 3 on Thursday

OKC beats Aviators 7-2, forces Game 3 on Thursday By Justin Lafferty Las Vegas Review-Journal September 23, 2026 - 11:18 pm The Oklahoma City Comets topped the Las Vegas Aviators 7-2 on Wednesday night at Las Vegas Ballpark, evening the best‑of‑three Pacific Coast League Championship Series and forcing a winner‑take‑all Game 3 on Thursday. A crowd of 5,307 watched the contest. Comets starter Landon Knack was effective, yielding five hits, one run and no walks over six and one‑third innings while striking out eight. Aviators left‑hander Ryan Magdic absorbed the loss after allowing three earned runs on six hits in three and two‑third innings. Las Vegas center fielder Brayan Buelvas went 1‑for‑3 with an RBI, and first baseman Joey Meneses finished 2‑for‑4 with a home run. Magdic began with two scoreless innings before running into difficulty in the third. Comets right fielder Zach Ehrhard lined a two‑RBI triple into the left‑center gap, giving Oklahoma City a lead it would not relinquish. Magdic needed 32 pitches to navigate that inning, which included a four‑pitch walk to near fielder Josue De Paula. After surrendering a run‑scoring triple to Kim in the fourth that landed just beyond right fielder Johnathan Rodríguez, Magdic made way for reliever Nathan Dettmer with the Aviators trailing 3‑0. Oklahoma City added three more runs in the fifth when James Tibbs III launched a home run that cleared the centerfield fence excavation at Las Vegas Ballpark. Las Vegas broke the shutout in the sixth as Buelvas smashed a triple to left, scoring shortstop Darell Hernaiz. The Comets extended their advantage in the eighth with a solo shot by third baseman Ryan Fitzgerald. Meneses responded in the ninth with a 414‑foot homer, trimming the deficit to 7‑2. Aviators manager Fran Riordan said, “You gotta extremity your headdress erstwhile their starting pitcher shuts you down, but we’ve been resilient each year,” Aviators manager Fran Riordan said. “Once the game’s over, we lavation it, and travel backmost the adjacent time with a batch of energy, and travel backmost time to combat for the PCL ring.” With the PCL title and a Triple‑A National Championship Game berth on the line, Las Vegas will open Game 3 with lefty James Gonzalez in a bullpen start scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Thursday at Las Vegas Ballpark.