Meadows late pinch-hit grand slam edges Trojans in game one of split-league series
It was Pahrump Valley’s game to win Tuesday but a late sneaky top of the seventh inning by league rival The Meadows would be the Trojans’ kryptonite in a 9-6 loss to the Mustangs.
Leading by two in the final frame 6-4, one monumental decision to pinch hit freshman Lucas Kim for Keegan Sabelko more than paid off as the Mustangs’ INF/C launched a grand slam over the right field wall to seal the deal in the first game of the split-league series in Pahrump.
Despite out-hitting The Meadows 9-6, Pahrump Valley couldn’t retain their late two-run lead.
Junior shortstop Tony Whitney, the Trojans’ hottest bat this season, who is posting a .521 batting average through 63 at-bats, paced the program at home with three hits, two runs and an RBI, while sophomore Anthony Montanez stayed on fire with a 2-for-4 performance at the plate and two RBI’s.
Trojans skipper Drew Middleton called upon one of his most trusted starting arms, Samuel Mendoza, as Pahrump Valley’s leading innings pitched and strikeout leader was able to get through six innings on 93 pitches.
Pitching to contact, 63% of the Mustangs’ balls in play were on the ground.
The junior gave up four hits and four runs (two earned) while striking out three.
Freshman starting pitcher Mox Hoy took the mound for The Meadows (8-10, 1-2) allowing three hits and three runs (one earned) in two and two-thirds innings, also pocketing three strikeouts.
The Trojans struck first in the opening frame when senior Kayne Horibe hit a sacrifice fly, scoring T. Whitney, who previously in the inning reached on a sharp single to left field to give Pahrump Valley (8-9, 2-1) an early 1-0 lead.
The Mustangs responded in the top of the second as 1B Max Tribett scored on error by the Trojans’ shortstop T. Whitney to tie the game.
In the third, the visitors began to pull away as the Trojans began to slowly unravel a bit.
Among two hit batters, a walk and an error, extra outs given away by Pahrump allowed the Mustangs to gain pivotal runs that would swing the final outcome in hindsight.
After Mendoza’s second HBP of the inning ran in on Aiden Brown resulting in a run, Tribett followed with a single to centerfield, extending the Mustangs’ lead to 4-1.
Catching a break immediately in the bottom frame in nearly the same fashion, senior Vinny Whitney reached safely on hard ground ball that resulted in an error on Mustangs shortstop Rocco Ricafort.
With two outs, the Trojans were awarded yet another clutch RBI single from sophomore Anthony Montanez scoring V. Whitney.
Montanez, who might as well be called the singles bandit this season, is batting a scorching .370 through 17 games this season and is tied for third-best in base hits with Cody Fried, who also has 17 this year.
Returning to the program for the first time since before his auto accident on March 14, sophomore CJ Nelson drew a walk to load the bases before back-to-back walks sent the runner for the catcher, Leland Delgado, a free 90-foot stroll to home, cutting the deficit to 4-3.
Escaping the top half of the fourth safely despite an extra out error by second baseman Dominic Chiancone, the Trojans quickly reclaimed their lead 5-4 from RBI singles by senior Benny Cimperman and Montanez.
Adding some insurance in the bottom of the fifth, the Trojans got some padding when Fried scored on a sacrifice fly to centerfield by T. Whitney to extend their lead to 6-4.
The top of the seventh started off as promising as can be with Horibe earning the first out against junior Ethan Schneiderman on an 87-mph fast ball.
But an HBP, walk, single, walk resulting in an RBI and a grand slam surrendered by reliever T. Whitney capped off a Mustangs road victory.
The Trojans will have had their second opportunity at the Meadows in the series following their road game in Las Vegas on Thursday.
Contact Jacob Powers at jpowers@pvtimes.com. Follow @jaypowers__ on X.
