Oklahoma City Comets (Triple-A)

Zach Ehrhard was the bright spot in a 13-11 loss to Las Vegas, going 2-for-3 with a home run and a walk — one of the few guys who looked sharp at the plate. He drove in a pair and scored three runs, which tells you he was in the middle of things, but the Comets just couldn’t get enough run support to hold off the Aviators. That’s baseball in September when rosters thin and the games matter less, but it stings regardless.

James Tibbs III also went deep, a solo shot in four at-bats with a walk mixed in. Ben Rortvedt had a solid night behind the plate — 2-for-3 with a double and two walks, plating a run. Hyeseong Kim was 2-for-4 at the keystone. The problem was that Alek Thomas, our center fielder, went hitless (0-for-4) though he did draw a pair of walks and scored twice. Ryan Fitzgerald drove in three runs but struck out three times — not an uncommon sight when you’re chasing pitches late in a game that’s already getting out of hand.

This loss doesn’t change the trajectory for these guys. They’re here to work their craft and prepare for the next level. Ehrhard’s power display was encouraging, and the walk rates across the board (Rortvedt, Thomas, Ehrhard) show at least some discipline at the plate. But wins matter too, and this one got away.