The Pahrump Valley Little League 8-10 All-Star team, known as the Tailgaters, made an impressive start to the Division 4 All-Star Tournament, earning a pair of convincing victories during opening-round play. Pahrump defeated Cheyenne 7-2 on Friday, July 10, before following it up with a 12-3 win over Summerlin South on Monday, July 13, showcasing timely hitting, dominant pitching and solid defensive play throughout both contests.
Against Cheyenne, Pahrump wasted no time establishing control.
Isaiah Parry took the ball to start the game and immediately set the tone, retiring the side in order with two strikeouts sandwiched around a lineout back to the mound. His command was evident from the opening pitch and carried throughout his outing.
The Tailgaters quickly rewarded that effort in the bottom of the first.
Javier Nogales ignited the offense by ripping a leadoff triple into left field. Sage O’Neal followed with a perfectly placed bunt single, putting runners at the corners. Parry then delivered the first run of the game with an RBI single before aggressive baserunning and a pair of Cheyenne miscues allowed both O’Neal and Parry to score. Liam Olson and Daniel Loveless added consecutive singles later in the inning, helping keep pressure on the defense as Pahrump built an early 3-0 lead.
Parry continued to dominate on the mound in the second inning, striking out all three batters he faced.
While Cheyenne’s pitcher settled in briefly, Pahrump continued to apply pressure in the third. After Raylan Calleros was retired, Nogales reached on an error and immediately created another scoring opportunity by stealing second. O’Neal capitalized with a run-scoring triple to right field before Parry drove him home with a productive groundout to stretch the advantage to 5-0.
The defensive effort never let up.
Parry struck out another batter and recorded a pair of routine outs in the fourth, finishing four outstanding innings. He allowed no hits or runs while striking out nine batters, consistently keeping Cheyenne off balance with his command and composure.
Pahrump added valuable insurance in the bottom half of the fourth.
Loveless worked a leadoff walk before Oliver Trudeau also reached via a walk. After both runners advanced, Isaiah Banuelos hit a ground ball that produced two runs as Loveless and Trudeau crossed the plate to make it 7-0.
Javier Nogales entered in relief during the fifth inning and immediately worked around Cheyenne’s lone hit through the first part of his appearance. He struck out one batter before Parry, now playing shortstop, erased the runner attempting to steal second to end the inning.
Cheyenne mounted its only threat in the sixth after a pair of walks and consecutive defensive errors allowed two runs to score, trimming the lead to 7-2. Nogales regrouped quickly, finishing the game with a strikeout to seal the victory.
The Tailgaters finished with six hits in the win. Nogales led the offense by going 1-for-2 with two runs scored and a triple. O’Neal collected two hits, including a triple, scored twice and drove in a run. Parry contributed a hit, two RBIs and a run scored while also earning the win on the mound. Olson and Loveless each added singles, while Banuelos drove home two runs.
Three days later, the Tailgaters returned to the field against Summerlin South and produced another complete performance.
Parry once again got the start and escaped early traffic in the first inning. After allowing back-to-back singles, the defense came through behind him as Nogales started a fielder’s choice before Parry induced a pop-up to strand two runners.
Pahrump answered immediately.
The momentum stayed firmly with the Tailgaters.
Nogales opened the bottom of the first with a single before O’Neal laid down another successful bunt single. With two aboard, Parry delivered the biggest swing of the tournament to that point, launching a three-run home run to center field to give Pahrump an immediate 3-0 advantage.
Parry retired the side in order during the second inning, recording a strikeout and two routine outs before working around a pair of hits in the third. Although Summerlin South managed to score once following a defensive error, Parry finished the inning with another strikeout to limit the damage.
Meanwhile, Pahrump’s offense continued to expand the lead.
Nogales reached on an error to begin the third before O’Neal drew a walk. Another hard-hit ball by Parry forced an error that plated Nogales. O’Neal later stole home, Oliver Trudeau lined an RBI double into right field and Banuelos followed with an RBI single as the Tailgaters extended their lead to 7-1.
Summerlin South answered with two runs in the fourth, but Pahrump quickly responded with its biggest offensive inning of the game.
Nolan Willinsky started the rally with a single before Paxton Larsen reached on a bunt and advanced to third following an error. Raylan Calleros added another successful bunt that resulted in an error, keeping the pressure on the defense. Nogales followed with an RBI single before O’Neal worked a walk to load the bases. Parry added another RBI after drawing a walk, and Sebastian (Bash) Tillery capped the inning with an RBI single as Pahrump scored four more runs to push the lead to 11-3.
On the mound, Nolan Willinsky took over in the fourth and recorded the final out of the inning after allowing one baserunner.
Isaiah Banuelos then pitched an efficient fifth inning, striking out one batter and working around a double and a walk before inducing a pop-up and a groundout to preserve the eight-run advantage.
Pahrump added its final run in the bottom of the fifth when Banuelos singled, Wolfe Willinsky followed with an RBI single and the Tailgaters extended the lead to 12-3.
Nogales returned to the mound to close out the game in the sixth. He struck out the leadoff batter before retiring the next hitter on a pop-up to first baseman Trudeau. After surrendering a two-out double, Nogales finished the contest by inducing a lineout to center field, securing Pahrump’s second tournament victory.
The Tailgaters pounded out 10 hits against Summerlin South. Parry led the offensive attack, going 1-for-2 with a three-run home run, four RBIs and a run scored while also pitching three strong innings to earn the victory. Nogales collected two hits and scored three times. Banuelos added two hits, an RBI and scored once. O’Neal reached base three times, scored twice and drove in a run. Trudeau contributed a double, RBI and two runs scored, while Tillery, Wolfe Willinsky and Nolan Willinsky each recorded hits. Larsen, Calleros and Loveless also played key roles in generating pressure throughout the lineup.
Through their first two Division 4 tournament games, the Tailgaters displayed balanced baseball on both sides of the field. Dominant pitching from Parry, timely relief appearances from Nogales, Nolan Willinsky and Banuelos, aggressive baserunning and production from throughout the lineup helped Pahrump open tournament play with two impressive victories and valuable momentum moving forward.
*These photos are from the game against Summerlin South. These and more are available for purchase at pvcnphotos.com.
