Trojans walk off Moapa, rallies past Douglas in dramatic Rod Poteete Memorial Tournament run — PHOTOS
Hosting a competitive opening-day tournament can be daunting, especially in your first real test as the new skipper of a familiar program.
Just ask Pahrump Valley High School head coach Drew Middleton’s squad, which faced a near once-in-a-lifetime moment last Thursday against rival Moapa Valley High School to kick off the three-day hosted Rod Poteete Memorial Tournament.
Similar to Middleton’s favorite baseball team - the Seattle Mariners - Drew joined the company of Seattle’s current skipper Dan Wilson who won his first game as the Mariners manager via a walk-off on August 23, 2024 in San Francisco.
Chasing three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, the Trojans started the rally with singles from sophomore Anthony Montanez and junior Jacob Selbach before senior Ben Cimperman drew a walk to load the bases up.
Trojans junior Cody Fried delivered in a 1-2 count with a timely double to the right field line, scoring both Selbach and Montanez.
With the momentum on their side, Trojans senior Kayne Horibe went down looking for the second out against the Pirates closer brought in to seal the deal, Jake Hadley.
What ensued was something out of Middleton’s bag of tricks and a moment both senior Jack Walker and Middleton will both never forget- a walk-off base hit from Walker through the 5-6 hole after fouling off five-straight pitches cold off the bench.
After five-straight pitches fouled back, pinch hitter and senior Jack Walker delivered the walk-off against Moapa Valley on Feb. 26, earning new program head coach Drew Middleton his first when at helm during the Rod Poteete Memorial Tournament. 📷: @jace_took_that pic.twitter.com/TCv0Mr78yc
— JP (@jaypowers__) March 4, 2026
“The Moapa game is a game I’ll forever remember the rest of my life. We didn’t play great. But we battled and battled until we finally broke through,” Middleton said. “It was kind of the theme of the tournament. But beating a team like Moapa, in the fashion we did for my first varsity win was pretty sweet.”
Game one: Moapa Valley
The Pirates (1-2) scored in four of the first five innings to build a 5–2 lead through five. The team finished with seven hits and capitalized on three Trojan errors to keep pressure on early.
But it seemed Pahrump answered each time.
The Trojans scored single runs in the first and third before breaking through in the bottom of the seventh.
Trailing 5–2 entering the final frame, Pahrump erupted for four runs to walk it off, finishing with 10 hits and six RBIs on the afternoon.
Trojans junior Cody Fried led the offensive effort, going 2-for-4 with two RBIs and three total bases. Sophomore INF Anthony Montanez, who put in a ton of work in the offseason, scored three runs and added two hits and a walk, consistently igniting traffic at the top of the order.
Cimperman doubled, drove in a run and walked twice, while Jack Walker delivered his late two-RBI walk-off.
Senior Dominic Wilson finished 2-for-2 with a walk, and while Selbach contributed a hit and a run scored.
As a team, Pahrump went 10-for-28 at the plate with five walks and just six strikeouts, consistently putting balls in play and forcing defensive execution.
The Trojans collected three doubles (Cimperman, Fried, Walker) and stole three bases (Montanez, Wilson, V.Whitney).
On the mound, senior Vinny Whitney worked 4 1/3 innings, allowing seven hits and five runs — only two earned — while striking out four on 81 pitches (54 strikes). Junior Kevin Farrell provided critical relief, tossing 1 2/3 scoreless innings without allowing a hit and striking out one.
Wilson closed the door with a clean final inning, allowing no runs and securing the win.
Pahrump’s bullpen combined to allow zero runs over the final 2 2/3 innings, stabilizing the game long enough for the offense to surge in the seventh.
Defensively, the Trojans committed three errors (Montanez, Wilson, Tony Whitney) but limited the damage late, tightening up when it mattered most.
“Moapa is scrappy and well coached,” Middleton said. “Fifteen of our guys played in that game, and it took every guy to get the job done. Jack Walker getting the game-winning hit coming off the bench cold is very impressive. Incredible stuff.”
🎥: @Jace_took_that pic.twitter.com/MWP9twaJe6
— JP (@jaypowers__) March 4, 2026
Game two: Douglas — Trojans do it again
They surely can’t keep getting away with it, can they? Indeed they did.
“The first Douglas game was our best player game of the tournament. Six perfect clean innings,” Middleton said. “No errors, pitching was phenomenal, offense was job-oriented and all game we found ways to move guys and score guys from third. Incredibly well-played game.”
With the game tied 7–7 in the bottom of the seventh, senior Vinny Whitney lined a single to bring home Horibe, capping a three-run final frame and completing Pahrump’s second comeback of the tournament.
The Class 5A Northern League division Tigers (3-1) mounted their biggest rally in the top of the seventh.
Trailing 5–3 entering the inning, the Tigers capitalized on free passes and timely hitting. Grayson Kamper drew a bases-loaded walk to force in a run, Brock Tholen followed with a two-run single, and Aiden Tarlo added another RBI walk. By the end of the frame, Douglas had flipped a deficit into a 7–5 advantage.
The Tigers finished with nine walks on that day. Alex Rogers drew three free passes, while Titus Gocke went 2-for-2 to lead Douglas in hits. Tholen drove in two runs despite just two official at-bats.
Down to their final three outs, Pahrump delivered.
Horibe tripled to the gap to score two runs and tie the game at 7–7. Two batters later, Whitney delivered the decisive blow — a line-drive single that brought home the winning run and sealed the 8–7 victory.
Pahrump totaled nine hits and six walks, consistently forcing Douglas to work deep counts. Whitney paced the offense from the top of the lineup, finishing with three hits in four at-bats. Horibe drove in two runs, while Nelson added two RBIs in the middle innings. The Trojans showed patience all afternoon, matching Douglas’ disciplined approach at the plate.
Junior Sammy Mendoza started for Pahrump, allowing three runs on four hits over five innings while striking out six and walking four. T. Whitney followed with a scoreless inning of relief.
Horibe was credited with the win despite a turbulent outing — surrendering four runs on one hit over two-thirds of an inning while issuing four walks. The Trojans’ staff combined for seven strikeouts and limited the Tigers to just five hits.
For Douglas, Peter Ziegler allowed five runs (four earned) on five hits over 3 2/3 innings. Tholen absorbed the loss after giving up three runs on four hits across three innings of relief.
“Things got away from us in the top of the seventh a little bit, but again to have a two-out rally in the bottom of the seventh and find a way to win is awesome,” Middleton said. “Beating a 5A team is a good statement to make.”
Game three: Dayton — Trojans explode for nine runs in the fourth
The Dustdevils used a huge first inning and timely middle-inning hitting to hang in with the Trojans, but it wouldn’t be enough.
After a leadoff walk, the Dustdevils strung together a series of clutch RBI singles from Adrian Acosta, Dallan Cowee, Brody Dupuy, and Jacob Montero to build a 4–0 lead.
The aggressive approach at the plate put immediate pressure on Pahrump Valley starter Cody Fried, who pitched four innings, surrendering nine hits and six earned runs over 85 pitches.
“Cody battled to get through each of his innings on the mound. The play of the game was picking a guy off of third with runners on second and third with one out,” Middleton said. “If they get a hit they go up 7-1 in that situation. Instead we pick off the guy, Cody strikes out the batter, then we come up offensively and explode.”
Pahrump Valley responded directly in the bottom half when CJ Nelson drove in the Trojans’ first run, and a double by Horibe followed by a two-run single from V. Whitney cut the deficit to 4–3 after one inning, signaling the game would be a battle.
Dayton (0-3) would further add to its lead in the third.
After working base runners aboard, Jacob Montero delivered an RBI single to make it 5–3. In the fourth, the Dustdevils manufactured another run when Dallan Cowee’s sacrifice fly brought home Duke Evans, stretching the advantage to 6–3.
The Trojans mounted their biggest threat in the bottom of the fourth.
Taking advantage of walks, hit batters, wild pitches, and aggressive base running, Pahrump rallied with multiple run-scoring hits — including RBI knocks from Dominic Chiancone, Jacob Selbach, D. Wilson, and a two-run double by Tristan Torres.
The surge briefly flipped momentum and brought the Trojans within striking distance as they piled up runs in a high-scoring frame.
After the explosive fourth, pitching began to steady a bit.
Dayton’s Kadyn Clifford recorded key strikeouts in the fifth, while the Dustdevil defense limited further damage despite scattered base runners.
Pahrump Valley’s pitchers also settled down, with timely outs, preventing Dayton from extending the lead late.
Holding a 12-7 advantage into the late innings, Pahrump Valley’s early four-run cushion and run production in the middle innings proved to be the difference.
In the end, the Dustdevils’ explosive four-run top half start was not merely close enough to stave off the Trojan hit parade.
Game four: Trojans outhit Tigers but fall short in championship
I’m starting to think we may need to test junior Tony Whitney for being on the juice.
No, but in all seriousness, the kid is on an absolute tear at the plate right now.
During the tournament, Tony carried a .727 batting average, while slugging 1.000 and a team-best 1.786 OPS.
Still, it wasn’t enough as Douglas continued to apply pressure for five straight innings from the second to the sixth.
“It felt like we had a really great opportunity to win that game and we just let it slip away,” Middleton said. “Pitching was pretty good for the most part. Better than the stats show, feel like our defense could have played better overall. But we made a few mistakes on the mound as well.”
The Trojans came out strong, scoring in the first when Cimperman singled to drive in a run. They added three more in the second behind RBI contributions from Nelson, Fried, and Horibe to build a 5-0 advantage.
Whitney set the tone at the top of the lineup, going 3-for-3 with three singles, two walks, and two stolen bases, while Cimperman finished with four hits of his own.
With Fried, Horibe, Nelson, Whitney, and Cimperman each driving in a run Pahrump Valley showed patience at the plate with seven walks and stole four bases, and the defense was flawless, committing no errors.
Douglas battled back in the fourth, tying the game at five after capitalizing on walks, including a bases-loaded walk by Tholen.
The Tigers took control in the fifth when Ziegler delivered an RBI single and Tarlo followed with a run-scoring ground out to make it 7-5.
Douglas added insurance runs late to seal the win.
Cimperman started for the Trojans, allowing five runs on seven hits over 3 2/3 innings, striking out three and walking six. Gocke earned the win for Douglas, surrendering five runs (four earned) on 11 hits over 4 2/3 innings with six strikeouts. The Tigers drew 11 walks overall and turned a key double play as they completed the comeback victory.
What’s next?
The Trojans will turn their attention to host the Class 4A Sky League program, Western High School (1-2) at home this Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.
Contact Jacob Powers at jpowers@pvtimes.com. Follow @jaypowers__ on X.
