AMERICAN LEGION: Gage Ventura’s plan works as Aces advance to title game

Have a plan.

That’s what the Las Vegas Aces coaching staff preaches to its players, and for No. 9 batter Gage Ventura, he had a good one in the bottom of the eighth Friday in the American Legion state baseball tournament at UNLV.

After waiting patiently for Las Vegas Bulldogs pitcher Isaiah Salas to throw an inside fastball, Ventura promptly stroked an RBI double that scored Cole Schaefer and helped the second-seeded Aces (33-9) to a 6-5 victory.

“He made a mistake and threw it right where I wanted it and I did what I could to the ball,” said Ventura, who was 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI. “It was an elimination game, it’s go big or go home, do what you can, help your teammates out, do it for the guy next to you and do whatever you can to keep the ball rolling.”

The win advanced the defending champion Aces to Saturday’s championship. They face the top-seeded Southern Nevada Blue Sox (48-7) at 7 p.m. in a rematch of last year’s state championship.

Chaison Miklich was 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI, and Brett Brocoff, Aaron Roberts and Schaefer each had two hits apiece for the Aces. Schaefer (5-0) got the win in relief, and Israel Gutierrez pitched a scoreless ninth to get a save.

“Gage has been around here for three years and he’s played in some pretty big games for us,” Aces coach Paul Buboltz said. “He sat the last couple of days for us, just based on how our lineup was set, and we decided to start him today. I knew potentially he could come up in a big spot. He got the job done for us.”

On defense, Miklich also got the job done, as he preserved the Aces’ lead with a sliding catch of Kian Wilbur’s blooper down the left-field line with runners on second and third in the top of the ninth.

“We’ve played all of our guys all summer; at times,” Buboltz said. “Getting everybody out there and getting everybody experience throughout the summer is paying dividends for us. I think that’s been a key for us.”

The Bulldogs had tied the game in the top of the eighth on an RBI groundout by Garret Holden. But the team stranded the potential go-ahead run at third.

Zackary Simon was 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI, and Holden went 2-for-5 with a run and two RBIs for the Bulldogs (26-13). Bulldogs starter Kristopher Bow allowed three runs (two earned) and five hits over six innings.