The Pahrump Valley High School softball team battled through early adversity and delivered a strong late-game surge to secure a 7-5 road victory over Southeast Career Tech (SECTA) on Friday, April 17.
With Jaycie Hayes in the circle for the Trojans, Pahrump Valley combined timely hitting with key defensive plays to turn a mid-game deficit into a statement win.
Pahrump Valley threatened early in the top of the first. Olivia Veloz reached on a dropped third strike, and Hayes followed with a hard-hit single to center to put two runners on. The Trojans continued to apply pressure with balls in play, but SECTA was able to work out of the inning and keep the game scoreless.
In the bottom half, Hayes settled in quickly. After allowing a walk, she struck out a batter and induced a pop out to end the inning, with Sadie Freeman contributing defensively on a fly out in right field.
Both teams were quiet in the second inning until SECTA capitalized in the bottom half. A leadoff double and a sacrifice bunt set the stage, and a combination of hits and defensive miscues allowed SECTA to push across four runs and take a 4-0 lead.
The Trojans answered in the third. Veloz and Hayes once again set the tone with back-to-back singles, and after a pair of outs, Mariah Gray delivered with a clutch RBI single to bring in the first run. Riley Saldaña followed with another RBI hit to cut the deficit to 4-2 and swing momentum back toward Pahrump Valley.
SECTA added one more run in the bottom of the third, but Hayes limited further damage with back-to-back strikeouts to close the inning.
Pahrump Valley continued to chip away in the fourth. Veloz came through with a double to center, and Hayes drove her in with an RBI single to make it 5-3. The Trojans loaded the bases later in the inning, but SECTA managed to escape without allowing additional runs.
Defensively, the Trojans came up with a key moment in the bottom of the fourth. With runners in scoring position, Saldaña fired a throw home to Gray to catch a runner attempting to score, halting a potential rally and keeping Pahrump Valley within striking distance.
After a quiet fifth inning offensively, the Trojans turned to Hayes in the circle to keep them in the game—and she delivered. Hayes struck out the side in the bottom of the fifth, showing command and composure at a critical point.
That set the stage for a decisive sixth inning.
Hayes led things off with a triple to center field, and Madison Rodriguez followed with an RBI double to cut the lead to 5-4. After an intentional walk to Evalenne Armendariz and a ball in play from Gray that kept the pressure on, Saldaña put the ball in play to move runners along.
With the bases loaded, Jaelyn Rodriguez delivered the biggest swing of the game, driving a double to left field that cleared the bases and gave the Trojans their first lead at 7-5.
Pahrump Valley’s defense took over from there. Hayes continued to dominate in the circle, striking out a batter and working through the sixth inning with help from the defense behind her.
In the seventh, the Trojans added a pair of hits from Hayes and Madison Rodriguez but were unable to extend the lead. That left the final three outs to the defense.
SECTA put the ball in play in the bottom of the seventh, but Pahrump Valley stayed composed. Madison Rodriguez handled a pop out at shortstop, Jaelyn Rodriguez recorded a ground out at first, and Freeman secured the final out in right field to seal the victory.
Hayes led the way both in the circle and at the plate, delivering multiple key hits—including a triple—and keeping SECTA in check late with a strong pitching performance. Veloz set the tone at the top of the lineup with several hits and runs scored, while Madison Rodriguez and Jaelyn Rodriguez came through in critical moments, including the go-ahead RBI double in the sixth.
Head Coach Brian Hayes credited the team’s ability to adjust and respond after a challenging start.
“We struggled a bit in defense early that put us in a hole. We stiffened up our defense and had some big hits late that helped us pick up the win. We haven’t been behind much in our previous dozen games, so it was good to see how we battle back,” he said.
After falling behind early, the Trojans showed persistence and execution, turning a four-run deficit into a hard-earned road win.
*These photos are from games earlier this season.
