Lady Trojans earn state bid opportunity at costs of regional title
As thrilling as it was to clinch a state title bid last week, the excitement was met with a cold reality: never underestimate your opponents.
After shutting out Virgin Valley 9-0 on Saturday, May 9, to advance to the big dance up north, the Bulldogs were able to pull out the shocking back-to-back upset over the Lady Trojans.
The regional title was nearly three outs away, but a fielder’s choice with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh by Raylynn Woods delivered the dagger the Trojans were desperately trying to avoid.
Following an error, a single to third, and an intentional walk, Maddy Wright crossed home in crushing fashion.
Credit is due to Virgin Valley, who clawed their way back into the tournament with three wins after being positioned in the losers’ bracket from their previous matchup with the Lady Trojans.
Moapa Valley - Trojans 15, Pirates 0
Pahrump Valley exploded for a 15-0 shutout win over the Pirates last Thursday, powered by a monster performance from Jaycie Hayes.
The freshman class’ fourth leading strikeout holder in the nation was unstoppable on the opposite end at the plate, driving in four runs on four hits, including a first-inning three-run bomb to right that set the tone early.
She stayed hot in the third with an RBI single as the Trojans kept pouring it on.
Senior Madison Rodriguez ripped a two-run single, and another run crossed on an error to make it a nightmare opening inning for the Pirates.
The Trojans kept the pressure cranked up in the second.
Junior Evalenne Armendariz smoked a double while Sadie Freeman added an RBI single, enabling the Trojans to never look back.
Then came the third inning avalanche.
Armendariz and Rodriguez each delivered RBI singles with multiple defensive miscues by Moapa Valley added to the damage. Freshman Aspen Middaugh punched a run-scoring single up the middle, and Hayes capped the rally with yet another RBI knock.
Hayes dominated in the circle as well, tossing three shutout innings and allowing just two hits.
The Trojans starter punched out eight batters and didn’t issue a single walk in yet another commanding performance.
At the plate, the Trojans racked up 11 hits, with Armendariz collecting two hits in two at-bats during the offensive onslaught.
Virgin Valley - Trojans 9, Bulldogs 0
Pahrump brought the hammer down on Friday, rolling past Virgin Valley 9-0 behind a lights-out, no-nonsense performance from Hayes at Boulder City High School.
Hayes was simply untouchable in the circle. Seven innings of total control: 15 strikeouts, just one hit allowed, one walk, and not a single run surrendered.
She didn’t just pitch — Hayes shut the door, locked it, and threw away the key.
The Trojans didn’t need long to break open the offensive floodgates. They unloaded a nine-run fourth inning that turned the game into a runaway.
Rodriguez got it rolling with an RBI single, Freeman forced a fielder’s choice that still plated two, Saldana worked a walk with the bases loaded, and then Armendariz doubled in two more.
A steal to home by Hayes added another jolt, and another Bulldogs error tacked on the final run of the frame.
Virgin Valley’s starter, Ryleigh Woods, was under siege, giving up nine runs (six earned) across 3 1/3 innings while trying to slow the barrage.
At the plate, Armendariz was a steady engine in the middle of the order, going 2-for-4 with two RBI’s.
Rodriguez, Armendariz, and Middaugh all finished with two hits apiece, keeping pressure on all game long.
And when the Trojans weren’t hitting, they were running.
Four stolen bases added another layer of aggression to a complete, no-doubt performance.
Virgin Valley - Bulldogs 12, Pahrump Valley 6
Evalenne Armendariz did all she could to keep the regional title hopes alive despite dropping a 12–6 contest to the Bulldogs.
The junior drove in four runs on two hits, while Rodriguez and Middaugh each chipped in two hits to keep the offense alive throughout the game.
But Virgin Valley came out swinging and never really cooled off.
Junior Maddy Wright got them on the board early, scoring on a sacrifice tag in the first.
The third inning got loud fast.
Senior Julia Leavitt crushed a three-run homer to left, Dalton added an RBI single, and an error opened the opportunity for a five-run inning that put the Trojans on their heels.
The Bulldogs kept their foot down in the fifth inning.
Leavitt struck again with a three-run double, and a daring steal to home tacked on two more runs as Virgin Valley kept stretching the gap.
Leavitt added a solo shot in the seventh inning to finish with a monster eight-RBI performance.
Armendariz took the loss on the mound for Pahrump Valley, going the distance but allowing 11 hits and 12 runs (three earned) across seven innings, striking out five and walking one.
Virgin Valley’s starter, Kamzlee Dalton, battled through 6 2/3 innings, giving up six runs (three earned) on nine hits while punching out 12.
The Bulldogs finished with 11 hits overall, with Leavitt leading the charge from the heart of the order.
Wright, Slack, and Woods all added multi-hit efforts, and Virgin Valley’s aggressiveness on the bases showed up too, swiping seven bags to keep constant pressure on the Trojans’ defense.
Virgin Valley - Bulldogs 5, Trojans 4
It was a Mike Tyson-like punch in the gut for the girls as a late bases-loaded rally in the bottom of the seventh gave the Bulldogs the regional title last Saturday in Boulder City.
Tied 4-4 with everything on the line, Virgin Valley put the ball in play, and chaos followed — Hayes got Woods to ground into a fielder’s choice, but the winning run still crossed the plate, ending it in dramatic walk-off fashion.
The Trojans actually out-hit the Bulldogs 7–5 and had chances all game, but couldn’t land the final blow in the late rounds.
Hayes led the way offensively with two hits, while Armendariz stayed in the middle of everything with a key RBI effort.
Pahrump Valley struck first in the opening inning, with Armendariz driving in a run on a ground out and Mariah Gray adding a sacrifice fly to put them up 2-0.
But Virgin Valley answered quickly.
Leavitt launched a two-run homer to center in the bottom half to level the score at 2-2.
The Bulldogs grabbed control in the second after an error brought in a run, followed by an RBI single from Davie Slack that extended the lead to 4–2.
There was no quit from the Trojans, who quickly realized Virgin Valley didn’t come to prance around.
In the top of the third inning, Armendariz delivered again with an RBI single, and Hayes pulled off a heads-up steal of home to tie it at 4-4.
On the mound, Hayes battled through six innings, allowing five hits and five runs (two earned) while striking out eight. Woods went 3 1/3 innings for Virgin Valley, giving up four runs on four hits with three strikeouts.
Pahrump Valley worked the zone all day, drawing six walks — including two apiece from Rodriguez and Middaugh — but couldn’t convert late opportunities into the finish they needed.
Virgin Valley got just enough offense, with Leavitt and Slack leading the charge, and turned the final chance into a walk-off finish to steal it at the wire.
Contact Jacob Powers at jpowers@pvtimes.com. Follow @jaypowers__ on X, Instagram and Tiktok @Pvtimes.sports.
