The Pahrump Valley High School softball team delivered a commanding performance at home on Thursday, April 23, combining explosive offense with dominant pitching to secure a 15-0 victory over Moapa Valley.
From the opening pitch, the tone was set by Jaycie Hayes in the circle. In the top of the first inning, Hayes was nearly untouchable, striking out the side in order—two looking and one swinging—to immediately put the Trojans in control.
That momentum carried straight into the bottom half of the inning, where Pahrump Valley’s offense erupted. Aspen Middaugh sparked the rally with a leadoff triple to deep left, and Riley Saldaña followed with a double that brought her home to open the scoring. Saldaña aggressively moved to third on an outfield miscue and soon scored on a line-drive single from Hayes.
The big swing came moments later when Madison Rodriguez launched a two-run home run to left field, extending the lead to 4-0. The Trojans continued to pressure defensively and offensively, with Mariah Gray reaching on an error and advancing into scoring position. After working through a pair of outs, Pahrump Valley kept the inning alive with patient at-bats, drawing multiple walks. Middaugh came through again with an RBI single, and Saldaña added another run after being hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. By the time the inning ended, the Trojans had built a commanding 6-0 advantage.
Hayes returned to the circle in the second inning and remained in complete control. She struck out two more batters and induced a groundout to Jaelyn Rodriguez at first base to retire the side.
In the bottom of the second, Pahrump Valley’s offense picked up right where it left off. Rodriguez reached on a walk, Gray was hit by a pitch, and Evalenne Armendariz drew another walk to load the bases. Though Moapa Valley managed a pop out and a fielder’s choice at the plate for two quick outs, the Trojans again capitalized late in the inning. Sadie Freeman reached on an error that allowed a run to score, and Middaugh delivered once more—driving a triple to center field that cleared the bases and pushed the lead to 10-0. Additional walks and a hit-by-pitch brought in another run before the inning closed with Pahrump Valley comfortably ahead 11-0.
Defensively, the Trojans stayed sharp behind Hayes in the third inning. She added two more strikeouts to her tally while the infield, anchored by Olivia Veloz at second and Rodriguez at first, handled a ground ball cleanly to complete another scoreless frame.
The Trojans continued to manufacture runs in the bottom of the third. Armendariz and Rodriguez worked walks to get things started, and a well-executed sacrifice bunt by Veloz moved both runners into scoring position. Freeman followed with another walk to load the bases, setting the stage for Middaugh, who drove in a run on a fielder’s choice. Saldaña and Hayes each drew bases-loaded walks to bring in two more runs, stretching the lead to 14-0.
In the fourth inning, Hayes closed the door in dominant fashion. She struck out all three batters she faced—two swinging and one looking—finishing off a near-perfect outing in the circle.
Pahrump Valley added one final run in the bottom of the fourth after Armendariz singled and advanced on an error, eventually scoring on a fielder’s choice by Myah Krolczyk. With the score reaching 15-0, the game ended via mercy rule.
Middaugh led the offensive charge with a standout performance at the plate, recording multiple extra-base hits, including two triples, and driving in several runs. Rodriguez’s home run highlighted a powerful team effort, while Saldaña and Hayes contributed key hits and disciplined at-bats throughout the game.
In the circle, Hayes was exceptional, recording strikeout after strikeout while keeping Moapa Valley off balance all game long. Backed by clean defense and relentless offense, the Trojans put together a solid performance from start to finish.
With the win, Pahrump Valley continues to build momentum as they head deeper into the season, showing both the depth of their lineup and the strength of their pitching in another impressive outing.
