Aviators take advantage of 9-game homestand with 7-win showing

Las Vegas’ Pacific Coast League defense begins with two straight series wins.

Following a four-win week over the Oklahoma City Comets, the Aviators are off to a fast start to 2026. With the most recent series, the franchise now holds a one game advantage in the all-time series against the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Triple-A club.

Beginning the year with a nine-game homestand, Las Vegas has a 7-2 record to show for it featuring series wins over Oklahoma City and Salt Lake.

A 12-game road trip looms for the Aviators next with trips to Sacramento and Reno to see the River Cats and Aces respectively.

Tuesday, L, 13-8

An early season win streak for Las Vegas is now a thing of the past following a series-opening loss to Oklahoma City.

The Triple-A debut for starting pitcher Gage Jump didn’t go anywhere near as planned with the 23-year-old not having much success finding the strike zone. Upon seeing his first batter at the level, he launched his first career hit-by-pitch before the runner was driven in on an RBI double.

Eight at-bats during Jump’s outing consisted of at least five pitches before he was lifted from the game after just throwing 60 pitches, 38 of which went for strikes. His night included two wild pitches to go along with a run allowed on two hits with four strikeouts and two walks. One of those strikeouts ended the second inning with the bases loaded.

Las Vegas’ first loss of the season went to reliever Tyler Ferguson who had a less than stellar sixth inning. He faced a bases loaded situation with just one out tallied before surrendering a run on an RBI single to break a 3-3 tie.

Ferguson would be lifted from the game after giving up two more runs on a single. His earned run average sits at 27.00 now after giving up five runs on three hits in ⅔ of an inning with two strikeouts and a walk.

Things didn’t get much better with Ferguson off the mound as immediate replacement Brady Basso was taxed for five more runs on four hits as he also could only record two outs during his outing. His night was highlighted by giving up a grand slam in the same sixth that saw his predecessor run into trouble.

Basso’s other three charged runs came in the seventh inning as the Aviators fell behind by double-digits. The loss comes despite the pitching staff accumulating 17 total strikeouts.

Before that disastrous sixth inning, Las Vegas tied the game at three on an RBI groundout by shortstop Drew Swift and an RBI walk by center fielder Zack Gelof. Earlier in the contest, Gelof went yard for a solo shot in the bottom of the first inning to tie the game at one.

That would be the first of two Aviator home runs on the night with right fielder Junior Perez getting in on the action with a three-run shot in the eighth inning.

Gelof surfaced again in the ninth with an RBI double during his 3-for-5 night with a single, double, home run, three RBI, run scored, a strikeout and a walk.

Las Vegas’ final run of the night came when first baseman Joey Meneses grounded into a fielder’s choice. In the loss, he went 0-for-6 despite the RBI and has now fallen to 0-for-14 this season.

Wednesday, W, 11-5

Catcher Brian Serven was at the center of it all as Las Vegas evened up this week’s series with Oklahoma City following a Wednesday win 13 hours after having its three-game win streak snapped.

Serven’s first at-bat of the season went over the fence and that only added to his 7-for-7 start to the year. He’d continue his hot swinging with a two-out triple in his next at-bat to move to 9-for-9 this season.

The Comets plunked Serven with their next attempt to get him out during his 2-for-3 night with a triple, homer, RBI and two runs scored. His lone unsuccessful at-bat came in the eighth inning when he reached base on an error.

Serven scored in that eighth inning on an RBI single by shortstop Drew Swift as part of a six-run home half of the frame. Las Vegas batted around in that spurt with a pair of two-run dingers from first baseman Brett Harris and second baseman Zack Gelof.

Starting pitcher Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang made his Triple-A debut one night after fellow pitcher Gage Jump accomplished the same feat. Zhuang served up four straight two-out singles including two RBI singles. Oklahoma City added another run on an error by right fielder Henry Bolte.

Even after having the team work its way back in front on the scoreboard, Zhuang loaded the bases with one out recorded in the fifth inning. He’d allow the game-tying walk moments after on the way to being pulled from his debut.

Zhuang gave up five runs (four earned) on eight hits with three strikeouts and three walks. Relief pitcher Wander Suero (1-0) got the win after working 1.2 scoreless innings of one-hit ball with a strikeout and a walk to show for it.

Before that six-run eighth inning Las Vegas’ chances to pull out the victory in this one looked bleak for a while. The team loaded the bases with nobody out in the sixth inning before a strikeout and double play ended the scoring chance. With nobody out in the seventh, the Aviators put two on-base but would endure another double play and groundout to have another opportunity thwarted.

Those moments gave the club a chance to break a 5-5 tie that came about after the aforementioned Bolte smacked a solo home run over the wall. In fact, the hitless Joey Meneses gave Las Vegas its first lead of the game on a two-run groundout in the third inning. He went 0-for-5 in this one and is now 0-for-19 this season.

Thursday, W, 4-2

A pitcher’s duel ensued when Las Vegas starter Kade Morris was good but he was matched every step of the way by opposing starter Cole Irvin. A big-league level blast from a new first-year Aviator was the difference in the home team’s first walk-off win of the season Thursday night.

First baseman Joey Meneses picked up his first hit of the season to start the third inning after opening the year 0-for-19. That would be the beginning of a big breakout game for the 33-year-old that would end with a two-run walk-off home run to give Las Vegas its first lead of the game and subsequently the win. Teammate Junior Perez walked just before Meneses to set up the game-winning swing.

Meneses went 3-for-4 with two singles, a homer, two RBI and two runs scored. His first run scored came in the eighth inning on a two-run single by right fielder Colby Thomas, who had to successfully challenge a strike call that would’ve rung him up on strike three earlier in the at-bat.

After nearly working six innings on Opening Night, Morris would flirt with a similar stint this time around while continuing to find success with his strikeout pitches. He tallied five strikeouts for the second straight start while giving up two runs on five hits to go along with two walks.

Oklahoma City’s Ryan Ward was a constant in the visitors’ lineup that found success against Morris time-and-time again. Ward would go 2-for-3 with Morris on the mound featuring a double, home run, RBI and run scored.

Entering Thursday, Ward had gone 5-for-9 when opposed by Morris.

Friday, L, 7-3

It was a polar opposite appearance for Las Vegas starting pitcher Joey Estes in his second showing of the season as his club lost its second game of the week to Oklahoma City. Prior to that, the Aviators had won five of their last six games.

Things went bad fast and saw Estes get a mound visit in the first inning of the game. In fact, the bullpen began stretching and even warming up in the contest’s opening frame. The game opens with a walk, single and another walk before a two-run single brought in the night’s first runs. Two more runs scored in the inning with an RBI single and a run that came to pass on an error.

Estes found more trouble in the second inning with a bases loaded situation with one out. He’d give up three more runs on an RBI fielder’s choice and a two-run triple before being done after getting out of the top half of the second.

In just two innings of work, Estes was tagged for seven runs (six earned) on seven hits with two walks to show for it along with zero strikeouts.

Las Vegas’ bullpen packed it up the rest of the way as it retired 13 batters in order at one point. In addition, they didn’t allow any hits over the last six innings of the game with all nine of the Oklahoma City hits coming in the game’s first three innings.

The Aviators’ offense just woke up too late once again despite having at least one baserunner reach base in each of the first five innings. They didn’t experience their first 1-2-3 inning as an offense until the sixth inning but that would be the first of two straight frames like that.

At one point in the middle innings, Las Vegas struck out four straight times on the way to 10 total in the loss. Designated hitter Brian Serven struck out three times during his 1-for-4 night with a double as his lone hit. Coming into the game, he was batting .714 in the early going of the season.

In the bottom of the first inning, center fielder Henry Bolte plated a run as he grounded into a fielder’s choice. The Aviators’ biggest hit of the game came in the eighth inning when second baseman Zack Gelof launched a two-run home blast.

Saturday, W, 8-5

Las Vegas earned its third comeback win of this week’s series against Oklahoma City, all of which came in the last four outings. As a result, the club has secured at least a split this week against one of the PCL’s most consistent teams.

Already down 3-0 early, the Aviators put on two runners with nobody out. Center fielder Junior Perez plated a run as he reached on an error for the team’s first run of the night. The game would soon be tied on a two-run double by first baseman Joey Meneses, who has gone 5-for-12 over his last three games with a homer, four RBI and two runs scored.

The aforementioned Perez gave Las Vegas its first lead of the game in the fifth inning on a two-run single after the bases were loaded with two outs. He went 2-for-4 with two singles, three RBI and a run scored.

To add to that lead, first-year Aviator Michael Stefanic smacked a leadoff homer to kick off the bottom of the sixth. In that same frame, teammate Colby Thomas built on it with a two-run double to take an, 8-4, win.

Comets’ right fielder James Tibbs III tagged home team starter Mason Barnett for two home runs as part of his three-homer night. Tibbs took the pitcher affectionately known as “Barney” deep in the third and fifth innings. In total, he went 4-for-5 with those three dingers, a single, three RBI and three runs scored.

Barnett was done after 4-plus innings of work with three home runs allowed. His final stat line read four runs yielded on seven hits with three strikeouts and three walks to show for it.

Reliever Brooks Kriske moved to 2-0 on the year after picking up his second win of the season. In addition, fellow relievers Tyler Ferguson and Wander Suero collected a hold and the eventual save. The save goes down as the first of the year for Suero.

Sunday, W, 9-3

A second straight series win for Las Vegas has come to fruition after a Sunday win over Oklahoma City.

Starting pitcher Gage Jump made his second Triple-A start, both in this week, but this time around he found better footing. In his debut, he went just 2.1 innings with a run allowed on two hits with four strikeouts and two walks with 60 pitches to show for it.

In the first inning, he walked the leadoff man before moving him to third base via an error on a pickoff throw to first. Things temporarily got worse when he hit the next guy on the way to the lead runner scoring on an RBI sacrifice fly.

Jump would settle in and eventually complete a career-high outing with 3 ⅔ innings pitched while giving up two runs, both unearned, on two hits to go along with four strikeouts and two walks.

Las Vegas’ bullpen was nearly untouchable as reliever Jack Perkins immediately hit the mound after Jump and ate up nearly three more innings of work. Over his 2 ⅔ on the bump, he gave up a run on a hit with three strikeouts and two walks. That lone run came on a leadoff home run in the seventh inning which was at that point the Comets’ third hit of the season. He’d go on to get the win for his first decision of the season.

Designated hitter Colby Thomas made the most of his day away from playing the outfield with two home runs in the win. He got the team on the board with a leadoff shot in the second to tie the game at one apiece before adding another solo shot in the eighth inning.

Five players turned in two-hit days including first baseman Joey Meneses who gave the team its first lead of the game on his first double of the year in the second inning. That counted as his 10th RBI of the opening homestand.

An inning later second baseman Drew Swift and center fielder Zack Gelof opened the frame with back-to-back doubles. Both players were a part of the two-hit crew by going a combined 4-for-8 with two singles, two doubles, two RBI, a stolen base, a run scored, two walks and two strikeouts.

Right fielder Henry Bolte hit a three-run homer in the seventh inning after Oklahoma City started the frame by issuing back-to-back walks. That was his second hit of the night during his 2-for-4 outing with a single, a longball, three RBI, two runs scored and a strikeout.