The Pahrump Aztecs Bronze 14U club baseball team returned to its home field Thursday, June 4, for a doubleheader against Silverado, showing steady fight at the plate, defensive flashes and contributions from several players throughout the evening despite Silverado taking both games.
Pahrump opened the first game as the home team with Trustin Wagnon on the mound. Silverado applied pressure early, but the Aztecs worked to limit damage with defensive plays around the plate. Stetson Brown and Bentley Shannon helped cut down runners trying to score, giving Pahrump important outs during a busy opening inning.
The Aztecs looked to answer in the bottom of the first when Kasen Smith worked a leadoff walk. Brown and Anthony Aguilar were both hit by pitches to load the bases, but Silverado escaped the jam before Pahrump could push a run across.
Sawyer Tillery took over pitching duties in the second inning, and the Aztecs continued battling defensively. Smith and Aguilar combined for a groundout, while Max Augustine made a solid play at second base to help the defense settle in.
Pahrump’s pitching staff continued to rotate through the game, with Aguilar entering and giving the Aztecs a strong stretch on the mound. He recorded key strikeouts in the third inning and helped keep Silverado from adding more runs during one of the Aztecs’ cleanest defensive frames. Chris Mize Jr. also stepped in later and quickly picked up a strikeout.
After being held quiet early, the Aztecs broke through in the fourth inning. Wagnon started the rally with a line-drive single before Brown reached on another hit-by-pitch. Aguilar then delivered one of Pahrump’s biggest swings of the game, driving a single to center field that brought home both Wagnon and Brown.
Zayne Tuck followed with a base hit, and after Ashton Toole worked a walk, Mize produced a productive fielder’s choice that allowed two more runs to score. The inning gave the Aztecs energy and showed the team’s ability to keep competing even after falling behind.
Pahrump added more offense in the fifth. Shannon opened the inning with a double to left field and later scored. Wagnon reached safely, Brown continued to put pressure on the defense, and Aguilar added another hard-hit ball. Tuck came through again with an RBI double to left, scoring Brown and helping the Aztecs close the first game still attacking at the plate.
Tuck finished the opener with two hits and an RBI, while Aguilar turned in one of the team’s strongest all-around performances with a hit, two RBIs and time on the mound. Shannon added a double and scored, Wagnon had a hit and scored, and Brown crossed the plate twice as the Aztecs continued to battle through the final inning of a 17-6 loss.
The Aztecs then shifted into the visitor role for the second game and looked to carry over the late offensive momentum. Everett Abelar reached safely in the first inning, giving Pahrump an early baserunner, but Silverado kept the Aztecs off the board.
Brown got the start on the mound in game two and opened with a strong first inning, striking out three batters looking. Silverado was able to score twice in the inning, but Brown continued to attack the strike zone and gave the Aztecs a chance to stay close.
Pahrump started building a threat in the second when Wagnon singled on a hard ground ball and Shannon followed with another single to left. Although the Aztecs were unable to score, the inning showed the offense beginning to find contact again.
That pressure paid off in the third. Ethan Crunk worked a walk to begin the inning before Smith lined a single into right field. Abelar followed with a line-drive single to center, and Brown came through with an RBI single that brought Smith home. Abelar also scored on the play, cutting Silverado’s lead to 4-2 and giving the Aztecs their strongest offensive push of the second game.
Brown continued working on the mound into the third, adding another scoreless defensive sequence around contact and finishing his outing with three strikeouts. In the fourth, Abelar took over pitching duties and received strong defensive support behind him.
One of the biggest defensive moments of the doubleheader came in the bottom of the fourth, when Smith helped start a double play that erased an early baserunner. The Aztecs continued to show improved execution defensively, with Sawyer Tillery later making clean plays at first base, Justin Forsythe tracking down fly balls in center field and Shannon contributing around the infield.
Tuck added another highlight at the plate in the fourth inning, lining a double to left field and advancing to third on a passed ball. Juan Ruiz also worked a walk to put another runner aboard, but Silverado escaped the inning before Pahrump could add to its total.
The Aztecs kept pushing in the fifth when Crunk singled and Smith reached again, but Silverado’s defense turned away the threat. Pahrump continued competing through the final innings before Silverado closed out the second game, 9-2.
Across the doubleheader, the Aztecs received offensive contributions from Wagnon, Shannon, Tuck, Aguilar, Smith, Abelar, Brown and Crunk, while several players also stepped into important pitching and defensive roles. Although the scoreboard did not fall Pahrump’s way, the Bronze 14U group continued to show progress, fight and flashes of strong team play throughout both games.
