Aviators strike early, hold off Tacoma to reclaim PCL West lead

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Aviators strike early, hold off Tacoma to reclaim PCL West lead

Originally posted on Dice City Sports | By Mark Hebert | Last updated May 2, 2026 9:39 AM ET

The Aviators struck early and never trailed Friday night, riding a fast start to an 11-7 win over Tacoma at Cheney Stadium. Henry Bolte and Tommy White ignited a three-run first inning, and Las Vegas led from the opening frame to improve to 17-12 and move into first place in the PCL West.

Bolte and White combined to go 7 for 10 with six RBI and five runs scored, establishing control from the top of the lineup. White, playing in just his fourth Triple-A game, is now hitting .438 with a 1.159 OPS.

White goes deep

Joey Meneses jumpstarted the scoring with a two-run double in the first, and the Aviators created separation in the fourth.

Junior Perez tripled home a run, Bolte added an RBI single, and White delivered the decisive swing. The third baseman launched his first Triple-A home run, a 368-foot drive to left-center that left the bat at 103.7 mph. The two-run shot pushed the lead to 7-1 and put Las Vegas firmly in command.

Tommy White hits his 1st Triple-A home run tonight in Tacoma while going 3 for 5 at the plate raising his batting average to .438. pic.twitter.com/I4teC0JZzx

— Las Vegas Aviators (@AviatorsLV) May 2, 2026

White finished 3 for 5 with three RBI and two runs scored. Bolte added four hits, three RBI and three runs, while Perez collected four hits and scored twice.

Tacoma makes a push

Tacoma answered in the fourth, capitalizing on wild pitches and a two-run double from Ryan Bliss to trim the deficit to 8-5. A sacrifice fly and fielding error in the sixth made it 9-6, briefly tightening the contest.

Las Vegas responded again in the seventh. Perez doubled and Bolte drove in two more with a single to left, extending the lead to 11-6 and restoring momentum.

Tacoma added a run in the ninth, but the outcome was never seriously in doubt.

Kelly secures his first win

Mason Barnett started but did not factor into the decision after allowing five runs in 3.2 innings. The bullpen steadied the game.

Michael Kelly entered in the sixth and tossed 1.1 scoreless innings to earn his first win of the season. Wander Suero handled the late frames as Las Vegas secured its third straight victory.

Tacoma finished with nine hits and left 10 runners on base.

Up next

The series continues Saturday night at Cheney Stadium. Left-hander Gage Jump (0-1, 6.38 ERA) is scheduled to start for Las Vegas against Tacoma right-hander Casey Lawrence (1-3, 5.34 ERA).

First pitch is set for 6:05 p.m. PT.