The Pahrump Valley High School baseball team delivered an exciting Friday performance at the first annual Rod Poteete Memorial Tournament, earning two victories on their home field. The Trojans opened the day with a dramatic walk-off win against the Douglas Tigers before erupting offensively later in the afternoon to defeat the Dayton Dustdevils, completing a Friday sweep.
With Sam Mendoza starting on the mound for the Trojans, Pahrump Valley began the morning game on defense against Douglas, a respected 5A program from Douglas County.
Douglas opened with a single to left field, where Trojan outfielder Vinny Whitney fielded the ball. The runner stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error before a walk put runners on the corners. A pop out to Trojan first baseman CJ Nelson recorded the first out, but a single brought in the Tigers’ first run. Mendoza responded with two strikeouts to end the inning.
The Trojans answered immediately in the bottom of the first. Tony Whitney led off with a triple to right field and scored moments later on a balk to tie the game. CJ Nelson struck out, Ben Cimperman popped out to second, and Cody Fried grounded out to close the inning.
Pahrump Valley’s defense limited Douglas to just a walk in the second inning before the Trojans took the lead in the bottom half. Kayne Horibe drew a walk and advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Vinny Whitney before Dominik Wilson grounded out to second, scoring Horibe to make it 2-1.
Douglas tied the game in the third after a double and a productive out brought in a run.
The Trojans responded right away. Anthony Montanez walked to open the inning, and Tony Whitney followed with a single to right. During CJ Nelson’s at-bat, Whitney stole second while Montanez stole home to give Pahrump the lead again. Nelson then drove in Whitney with a single to center, extending the advantage to 4-2.
Pahrump added another run in the fourth. Vinny Whitney walked and advanced on a passed ball before Jack Walker moved him to third with a groundout. Montanez delivered again with a line-drive single to right, pushing the lead to 5-2.
Douglas rallied in the seventh inning, capitalizing on walks and hits to score five runs and take a 7-5 lead.
But the Trojans refused to fold. With two outs in the bottom of the seventh, Ben Cimperman and Cody Fried each drew walks to keep the inning alive. Kayne Horibe then ripped a triple into the right-center gap, scoring both runners to tie the game at 7-7. Moments later, Vinny Whitney sent a ground ball through the left side, bringing Horibe home for an 8-7 walk-off victory — the Trojans’ second walk-off win of the tournament.
Head Coach Drew Middleton said the performance showed how well the team can play when they execute.
“So Douglas, that was our best clean game of the tournament,” Middleton said. “They’re a very well-respected 5A team and we played very clean baseball. We fielded every ball, didn’t have any errors, and when we had guys on base we executed. Even when things didn’t go their way, these guys fought and found ways to get back in the game.”
Fourth-Inning Explosion Powers Trojans Past Dayton
The Trojans returned to the field later Friday afternoon to host the Dayton Dustdevils in the second game of the day.
With Cody Fried starting on the mound for Pahrump Valley, Dayton struck early. A walk, several hits, and a defensive miscue helped the Dustdevils score four runs in the top of the first.
Pahrump answered quickly. Tony Whitney led off with a walk and stole second before CJ Nelson drove him home with a line-drive single to right field. Kayne Horibe followed with a double to center, advancing Nelson to third, and Vinny Whitney added a ground ball single that scored both runners, cutting the deficit to 4-3.
The Trojans tightened defensively in the second inning, holding Dayton to four batters with a pop out, a runner caught stealing home, and a strikeout.
Dayton added another run in the third after a hit-by-pitch, walk, and single pushed their lead to 5-3.
A key defensive play helped shift momentum. With runners on second and third and one out, the Trojans picked off the runner at third. Fried then struck out the next batter to escape further damage.
“What could have been a 7-3 baseball game turned into us coming back,” Middleton said. “That flipped the game.”
The Trojans’ offense erupted in the bottom of the fourth.
Tristen Torres started the rally with a single to left field, followed by a hit from Dominic Chiancone. Jacob Selbach drove in Torres with a single before Tony Whitney delivered a double to score Chiancone and move Selbach to third.
CJ Nelson walked to load the bases, and Ben Cimperman followed with a bases-loaded walk to tie the game at 6-6. Dominik Wilson then lined a single to left to give the Trojans the lead while keeping the bases loaded.
The rally continued as Kayne Horibe walked to force in another run bring the Trojans back to the lead off batter for the inning. Torres ripped a two-run double to center. By the time the inning ended, the Trojans had turned the deficit into a commanding 12-6 lead.
“Once we flipped the game, we got hot,” Middleton said. “We put up an eight or nine spot in one inning and blew the doors off the game.”
Dominik Wilson later took over pitching duties for the Trojans and helped steady the defense. Dayton added one run in the sixth on back-to-back doubles, but time restrictions ended the game after the half inning with Pahrump Valley securing the 12-7 victory.
Middleton said the results reinforced the team’s identity.
“If we play a clean game, throw strikes on the mound, and our defense plays behind our pitcher, we’re tough to beat,” he said. “We have a lineup that’s going to score runs and compete.”
With two wins on Friday, the Trojans continued building momentum in the inaugural Rod Poteete Memorial Tournament heading into the championship game 3-0.
