Aces score early and often, roll past Aviators 15-7

Tyler Locklear turned the first inning into a warning shot and the Reno Aces never eased off, blitzing the Las Vegas Aviators 15-7 on Tuesday night at Las Vegas Ballpark. Tim Tawa doubled, LuJames Groover walked, and Locklear sent the next pitch to center field for a three-run homer that put Reno ahead 3-0 before Las Vegas could settle in.

That early punch set the tone for a night built on pressure rather than one isolated burst. Reno scored in four separate multi-run innings, including three-run frames in both the first and second, and kept forcing Las Vegas to defend from behind. The Aces finished with 16 hits and five walks, a mix that showed both quality contact and enough plate discipline to keep traffic on the bases. With runners moving and the Aviators already behind, Reno kept finding ways to turn mistakes into runs.

The second inning widened the gap when the Aces cashed in on an error and a wild pitch, the kind of extra-base pressure that often decides Triple-A games before the bullpen can even stabilize. Las Vegas answered with a Cade Marlowe RBI single in the bottom of the first, but every time the Aviators hinted at a response, Reno answered with another wave. Jared Dickey added to the power surge with his third homer of the season, then later came through again with an RBI single, underscoring how the game kept tilting toward the Aces’ most consistent bats.

For Reno, the win carried more than one-night value. The Aces improved to 27-31 by attacking the reigning 2025 Pacific Coast League champions on the road, and the performance gave the Arizona organization a cleaner look at which bats are forcing their way into the conversation. Locklear, a 25-year-old right-handed first baseman, did the most to stake that claim, pairing the early knockout with his second homer of the season. The sustained production around him mattered too: the Aces were not relying on one swing, but on repeated hard contact, baserunner pressure and a lineup that kept extending innings.

Las Vegas had to use six pitchers and committed two errors, evidence of how relentlessly Reno kept the inning alive. The game lasted 3:02 and drew 4,548 fans on a clear, 94-degree night with the wind blowing out to left field at 5 mph. Reno’s statement was made in the first few innings, and by the time the final out arrived, the Aces had shown exactly how loud an offense can sound when the first knockout lands early and the pressure never stops.