The Las Vegas Aviators won their fourth consecutive game Thursday night, edging the Tacoma Rainiers 5-4 at Cheney Stadium.
All four wins during the streak have come by two runs or fewer. Las Vegas improves to 29-23, remains three games behind Sacramento in the Pacific Coast League West first-half race, and continues to gain ground while the River Cats have also won eight of their last 10 games.
Tacoma drops to 23-31.
Fast Start Sets the Tone
The Aviators struck quickly in the first inning. Michael Stefanic singled, Cade Marlowe doubled, and Joey Meneses drove in the game’s first run with a sharp single to center. Tommy White followed with an RBI double to give Las Vegas a 2-0 lead.
Marlowe added to the cushion in the third inning with a solo home run to right-center, his fifth of the season. Two innings later, White delivered again, launching his third homer of the year to push the lead to 5-1.
Las Vegas finished with 14 hits, including three from White and two each from Marlowe, Stefanic, Jared Dickey, and Joshua Kuroda-Grauer.
Meneses Continues Productive Season
Meneses drove in his 47th RBI of the season with the first-inning single and now ranks second in the Pacific Coast League in RBIs, trailing only Denzer Guzman of St. Louis.
Although he collected just one hit Thursday, Meneses continues to anchor the middle of the lineup. His consistent run production has been a key factor in the Aviators’ recent surge.
Bullpen Bends but Closes
Mason Barnett earned the win, improving to 3-1 after allowing two runs on five hits over six innings. He struck out five and induced eight groundouts while limiting hard contact.
Ryan Bliss cut the deficit to 5-2 with a solo homer in the sixth.
Tacoma mounted its biggest threat in the eighth. After two walks, Connor Joe delivered a two-run double off Matt Krook to bring the Rainiers within one run at 5-4. However, Krook recorded the final out of the inning to preserve the lead.
Elvis Alvarado handled the ninth, striking out two and retiring Carson Taylor to secure his second save of the season.
Tight Games Becoming the Norm
Las Vegas has now won four straight games, all decided by two runs or fewer. The club continues to find ways to close out close contests, combining timely hitting with late-inning relief stability.
The Aviators have won eight of their last 11 games overall and remain firmly in the first-half race.
Up Next
The series continues Friday night at Cheney Stadium.
First pitch is scheduled for 10:05 p.m. EDT. Las Vegas is expected to start right-hander Joey Estes (2-5, 6.38 ERA) against Tacoma left-hander Juan Díaz (3-4, 6.95 ERA).
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Dice City Sports editor Mark Hebert covers the Vegas Golden Knights, Las Vegas Raiders, Athletics, and UNLV baseball and softball. He has 24 years of journalism experience, is also a senior reporter at Exhibit City News, and previously covered the Dallas Stars and Texas Rangers. Follow him on X or connect on LinkedIn.
