The Pahrump Valley High School Lady Trojans wrapped up a demanding weekend at the March Warm Up ELITE Varsity Pool Play Tournament in St. George, Utah, finishing with a strong 3-2 record and placing 11th out of 26 teams. Saturday proved especially grueling, as the Trojans battled through three consecutive games beginning at 8 a.m. against the Riverton Silverwolves, followed by a 10 a.m. matchup with the Kearns Cougars and a final contest at noon against the Maple Mountain Golden Eagles.
Despite the challenging schedule, the Trojans showed resilience throughout the day, bouncing back from a difficult start to earn a convincing victory before finishing with a tightly contested extra-inning battle.
Game 1 – Riverton Silverwolves
The Trojans opened the day against a strong Riverton Silverwolves squad that would ultimately finish the tournament undefeated at 5-0. Jaycie Hayes started in the circle for Pahrump with Madison Rodriguez behind the plate.
Pahrump went quietly in the top of the first as Aspen Middaugh flew out to left, Mariah Gray struck out and Hayes bounced an infield grounder that was thrown out at first.
Riverton wasted little time establishing momentum. After a fly ball was caught at first by Jaelyn Rodriguez, the Silverwolves followed with a double and then a towering home run over center field to take an early 2-0 lead. Hayes regrouped with a pair of strikeouts to limit further damage.
The Silverwolves added to their lead in the second inning. After a strikeout to open the frame, a dropped third strike allowed a runner to reach base. A double into center field was followed by another home run that cleared the fence in center despite a strong effort from Riley Saldaña, extending the Riverton advantage to 5-0. Additional singles and a triple produced two more runs as Riverton pushed the lead to 7-0.
The Trojans threatened briefly in the third when Saldaña sent a deep fly toward the left field line and Autumn Colon followed with a single that dropped in front of the center fielder. A sacrifice bunt from Sadie Freeman moved the runner up, but the rally stalled.
Defensively, Pahrump showed flashes of strong play. Middaugh made a routine catch at shortstop and Freeman tracked down a fly ball in center to strand runners in the third inning.
Riverton continued to add runs in the fourth inning, capitalizing on a walk and a triple down the right field line before another triple to left and a stolen home plate brought the score to 10-0, ending the game by run rule.
Game 2 – Kearns Cougars
The Trojans regrouped quickly for their second game of the morning, facing the Kearns Cougars. Aspen Middaugh was hit by a pitch to open the game but was caught stealing at second, and Pahrump was unable to push a run across in the first inning.
Evalenne Armendariz took the circle for the Trojans and delivered a steady performance early. Kearns managed a single to center in the opening inning, but strong defense—including catches in the outfield from Sadie Freeman and Claudia Lopez—kept the game scoreless.
Both teams traded defensive plays through the first few innings. Aspen Middaugh made several strong plays at shortstop, including a throw across the diamond for an out and a key defensive play that resulted in an interference call to erase a runner advancing to third.
Kearns eventually broke through in the bottom of the third inning with a double down the left field line followed by a single to center that scored the first run of the game, putting Pahrump behind 1-0.
The Cougars extended the lead to 3-0 in the fourth with consecutive hits that plated two more runs.
Facing the deficit, the Trojans responded with a huge rally in the fifth inning. Sadie Freeman reached base on a bunt that resulted in an overthrow at first, and Middaugh followed with a fly that dropped behind second base. Mariah Gray then delivered a single to load the bases.
Jaycie Hayes started the comeback with a hit to left field that brought in a run. Jaelyn Rodriguez followed with a sharp line drive past shortstop to center field, scoring another to cut the deficit to 3-2.
Madison Rodriguez then drove a hit down the left field line that rolled out of play, bringing home two more runs and giving Pahrump its first lead of the game at 4-3.
The Trojans continued to build momentum in the sixth inning. Freeman and Middaugh reached base to start the frame before Hayes sent a line drive to center field that scored one run while allowing Middaugh to race home as well, extending the lead to 6-3.
Aggressive baserunning added another run when Hayes stole home, and Rodriguez later tagged up to score on a deep foul-line fly ball. Dakota Glenn added a hard ground ball down the first base line to keep the pressure on.
With an 8-3 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth, the Trojans closed the door. Riley Saldaña tracked down a fly ball in right field before back-to-back strikeouts sealed the victory.
Game 3 – Maple Mountain Golden Eagles
In the final game of the day, the Trojans faced the Maple Mountain Golden Eagles in a tightly contested matchup that ultimately required extra innings.
Pahrump jumped out to an early lead in the first inning. Mariah Gray reached on a walk before Jaycie Hayes crushed a deep double to right field. With runners on second and third, Jaelyn Rodriguez drew a walk to load the bases.
Madison Rodriguez delivered a line drive to left that scored the first run, and Evalenne Armendariz followed with a fielder’s choice that brought another run across, giving the Trojans a quick 2-0 advantage.
The Trojans held Maple Mountain scoreless through the first two innings thanks to strong defense. Middaugh made several standout plays at shortstop, including a catch on the edge of the outfield grass and a deep throw to first. Hayes also recorded a strikeout and a routine groundout to keep the Golden Eagles off the board.
Maple Mountain rallied in the fourth inning, taking advantage of a pair of hits and defensive miscues to score two runs and tie the game at 2-2.
The Golden Eagles briefly took a 3-2 lead in the fifth, but Pahrump answered in the sixth when Armendariz blasted a home run over right-center field to put the Trojans back on top, 4-3.
Maple Mountain responded again in the bottom half of the inning, tying the game 4-4 on a double to center field.
Neither team scored in the seventh, sending the game into extra innings under tournament rules with a runner placed on second base to begin the frame.
The Trojans had a prime opportunity in the eighth after loading the bases with one out following a walk to Armendariz and a hit-by-pitch to Rodriguez, but Maple Mountain escaped the jam with two strikeouts to end the threat.
In the bottom of the inning, Pahrump recorded two quick outs—including a strong defensive play by Hayes after knocking down a ball and throwing to first—but a soft hit to right-center field dropped in front of Saldaña, allowing the winning run to score and giving Maple Mountain a 5-4 victory.
Despite the demanding schedule and the ups and downs of tournament play, the Lady Trojans showed resilience and determination throughout the weekend.
Head Coach Brian Hayes said the tournament provided important insight into what the team needs to improve moving forward.
“We felt like this weekend showed us there is still work to do,” Hayes said. “We made too many mistakes during our losses, and the other team capitalized on them.”
Even so, the Trojans demonstrated the ability to battle back under pressure, highlighted by their comeback victory over Kearns and the extra-inning fight against Maple Mountain. As the season continues, the experience gained from facing strong competition and playing multiple games in quick succession will serve as an important building block for the team moving forward.
