Preview: Oklahoma City Comets at Las Vegas Aviators

LAS VEGAS (Interstat) — Two early-season Pacific Coast League leaders will square off Thursday at Cashman Field when the Oklahoma City Comets visit the Las Vegas Aviators in the rubber match of their three-game series.

Both teams enter the April 2 contest with identical 3-1 records, having split the first two games of the set. Las Vegas evened the series with an 11-5 victory Wednesday after Oklahoma City claimed a 13-8 win Tuesday.

A key player to watch for Oklahoma City is reliever Jerming Rosario, who has been effective in two appearances this season. In Wednesday’s loss, Rosario allowed one earned run on three hits with four strikeouts over two innings. He previously tossed two scoreless innings in a win over Albuquerque on March 29.

For the Aviators, reliever Jack Perkins has been a standout. He earned the win Wednesday with three scoreless innings of relief, allowing just two hits and striking out four. That followed a rougher outing on March 28 against Salt Lake, where he gave up three earned runs without allowing a hit over two innings.

In Wednesday’s game, Oklahoma City’s Ryan Ward went 2-for-4 with two RBIs. For Las Vegas, catcher Brian Serven and right fielder Henry Bolte each homered, with both going 2-for-3 with an RBI.

The series has featured potent offenses. Oklahoma City has scored 13 runs in a game three times already this season, including Tuesday’s victory here. Las Vegas has also posted 11 and 13-run performances.

According to Interstat’s game simulator, Thursday’s contest is projected to be another high-scoring affair, with a predicted final score of Oklahoma City 8, Las Vegas 7.

Following Thursday’s game, the two teams will meet again for three more games in Las Vegas from Friday through Sunday. Oklahoma City then returns home to face Round Rock for a six-game series beginning April 7. Las Vegas will embark on a road trip, playing six games in Sacramento starting April 7 before moving on to Reno.

First pitch Thursday is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. PDT.