Middleton’s scrappy bunch sends Virgin Valley to the pound in split-series sweep — PHOTOS
The Trojans’ program had a bit of a scare a couple of weeks back, as sophomore CJ Nelson—one of their steadily reliable bats—was airlifted to Las Vegas for treatment following a late-night accident while riding his dirt bike in town with teammate Anthony Montanez on March 14.
Escaping the incident with a partially torn groin muscle and some deep bruising, Nelson thankfully he said he expects to be back around April 7 after miraculously missing only a few weeks.
Even during his physical absence, while Nelson has been cheering from the dugout, the boys have made it clear that this Class 3A program is not one to be taken lightly again this season.
“We’ve played seven games against 5A teams and another top 4A contender in Mater East,” Pahrump Valley High School head coach Drew Middleton said. “Iron sharpens iron and I think you’re starting to see the dividends of playing that hard schedule going into league play.”
Opening up league play against Virgin Valley on Wednesday, March 25 and Friday, March 27, the Trojans (9-7, 2-0 Class 3A South Mountain League) were able to seize both opportunities from their rival at home and on the road in Mesquite.
Firstly, taking Virgin Valley the distance, 10 innings in their backyard, Pahrump Valley senior Vinny Whitney put an end to the three hour and 12-minute marathon with an RBI single to second base to cement the 5-4 walkoff.
Pahrump’s been no stranger to pulling away in extras as last Wednesday’s victory was the third recorded walkoff win of the year.
But you don’t get to be “battle-tested” by higher classed programs, as Middleton says, without a plethora of fresh arms on the mound.
Luckily for the skipper, there hasn’t been much of shortage of guys doing their best to throw quality innings.
“I’ve said all year this team is only going to go as far as our pitching lets us,” Middleton said. “They certainly answered the call this weekend.”
In fact, last week, the Trojans in the first of two games against the Bulldogs, allowed zero lead-off walks while stranding 12 total runners on base.
Starting pitcher Samuel Mendoza threw 68 pitches over four innings to keep the Trojans in the fight early on. The junior had one strikeout, while allowing two walks and seven base hits.
“Sammy is one of the two guys on the team that fits my pitching philosophy to a T,” Middleton said. “He commands the zone, gets ahead constantly and has multiple pitches that he can throw for a strike in any count.”
Pahrump Valley got on the board early in the bottom of the first inning when junior Benny Cimperman lined a double to center field, bringing home junior Tony Whitney, while sophomore Anthony Montanez advanced to third.
The Trojans extended the lead in the second inning as T. Whitney delivered, singling to center to drive in both Dominic Chiancone and Kevin Farrell, making it 3–0.
Tony is one Nevada’s hottest hitters on record in the state. According to MaxPreps, Whitney is currently ranked ninth in the state in batting average, hitting .500 through 58 at-bats.
Virgin Valley began to rally in the top of the third as Jordan Goodsell reached on an error and advanced to third on the play, allowing Ty Felix to score. Koby Perry added a sacrifice fly to right field, bringing home Tray Hughes to cut the deficit down to 3–2.
The Bulldogs (9-4, 1-2) pushed the envelope again in the fourth inning when Krew Perry struck again with a single to right field, scoring Isaac Noel and tying the game at 3–3.
Regaining the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning, Trojans OF/P Kayne Horibe came through with a single to right field, scoring Jacob Selbach while moving Cody Fried into scoring position to make it 4–3.
Virgin Valley refused to back down, tying the game once more in the top of the seventh inning.
Hughes delivered a clutch double to center field off of T. Whitney in relief, driving in Parker Litzenberger and pushing Isaac Noel to third to even the score at 4–4.
Whitney finished tossing three innings allowing four hits and striking out five, nearly earning the win with two outs in seventh.
Locking the Bulldogs in the doghouse, Horibe’s fastball toppled 91 mph and striking out seven of nine batters over three no-hit innings out of the bullpen, carrying the Trojans through the eighth to 10th innings.
Mesquite
In a blazing hot rematch nearing the edge of the state’s border in Mesquite, the Trojans’ bats were hotter than the 98-degree recorded temperature on the ground at first pitch.
Getting runs on the scoreboard was was quite literally, “the hardest thing” to do for the Bulldogs as Pahrump Valley starting pitcher Vinny Whitney called the pound on his rivals, cruising through 5.2 innings of work in the heat to earn the win.
The leather was on display early as younger brother and shortstop Tony Whitney turned an unassisted 6-6-3 double play to end the bottom of the second.
Virgin Valley threatened briefly in the third, loading the bases with two outs, but couldn’t capitalize.
Despite running themselves out of back-to-back innings in the second and third with base running mistakes and a self-accounted overly aggressive send by the skipper, the Trojans were able to finally get out of their own way after four innings.
“That game was weird. We kept putting ourselves in good position but couldn’t get out of our own way,” Middleton said. “Getting thrown out at third, home (my fault), and picked off at first base all in the first three innings didn’t help.”
Erupting for eight runs in the fifth with two outs, the Trojans chased out Virgin Valley starting pitcher Uriah Pereida, who taunted the team coming off the mound every other half inning.
It would be the Trojans who bellowed the last laughs as the bats and their multiple celebrations did all the chirping required.
A double on a line drive to center field by T.Whitney scored Chiancone and Wilson prior to Montanez’s hardly hit double to left field that scored in T. Whitney.
With the two-bagger, the sophomore—who entered the game with the team’s third-best batting average at .366—recorded his first extra-base hit of the season.
Fried drew a patient walk to score in a run with the bases loaded to give the Trojans a 4-0 lead right before Horibe cleared everyone home with a triple to deep center that scored three more runs.
Horibe collected four hits in four at bats, totaling a team-high three runs batted in on the evening while coming around to score twice himself.
Wilson then doubled again with two outs to left field, scoring Horibe from third to put Pahrump up a commanding 8-0 heading into the bottom of the fifth.
Vinny Whitney went as long as his gas tank would take him as junior Cody Fried took over in the sixth inning with two outs in relief.
“Virgin got three in the sixth but we came back and responded by grabbing another run in the top of the seventh,” Middleton said. “Excellent executed offense.”
The senior surrendered nine hits and three runs over five and two-thirds innings, striking out one and walking four.
Between Whitney and Fried, the two induced 60% of the Bulldogs’ balls in play on the ground.
Shutting the curtains on the home fans, Virgin Valley would garner a garbage time run in the bottom of the seventh following an error on right fielder Jacob Selbach to pad the deficit, 9-4.
Dominic Chiancone was impressive as the plate, collecting three hits for the Trojans in four at-bats.
Looking ahead
With only one game this week against the Class 5A South Desert League Shadow Ridge Mustangs on the road Thursday at 3:30 p.m., Pahrump Valley will get a chance to regroup before playing four games next week against The Meadows (2), Spring Valley and a rematch against Desert Oasis.
“Coming into last week I questioned if we could win a tight 4-3 type of ball game. Wednesday we win a 10-inning marathon. Friday we win a game that’s 0-0 in the fifth,” Middleton said. “They showed me we have the grit to win those tight ball games. Again, we’re not where we need to be yet. But we’re going in the right direction.”
Contact Jacob Powers at jpowers@pvtimes.com. Follow @jaypowers__ on X.
