The Pahrump Aztecs Silver 17U club baseball team put together two competitive outings over the past week, earning a 16-10 road win over EA Rattlers Legion Silver on Thursday, June 4, before returning home to Pahrump on Tuesday, June 9, for a 7-3 loss to the Las Vegas Varsity Wildcats.
Against the Rattlers, the Aztecs wasted no time setting the tone. Anthony Montanez opened the game with a single, and Sammy Mendoza followed with a double to bring him home for the first run. Paul Walker added a sacrifice fly to score Mendoza, and Keith Lawrence later doubled to drive in Levi Denton, giving Pahrump a quick 3-0 lead in the top of the first.
The Rattlers answered with two runs in the bottom half, but Mendoza, who started on the mound for Pahrump, helped limit the damage. After the inning tightened to 3-2, the Aztecs came right back in the second. Logan Nunez walked, Damon Eagan singled, and Pahrump took advantage of a wild pitch before Montanez lifted a sacrifice fly to stretch the lead to 5-2.
Mendoza then settled in defensively, working a clean bottom of the second with help from the field, including plays by Logan Nunez in right field, Daniel Aguilar at third and Ryan Hamlin at second. In the third, Mendoza picked up back-to-back strikeouts before the defense closed the inning with a groundout.
After a quiet third inning offensively, the Aztecs broke the game open in the fourth. Nunez and Eagan both reached, and Mendoza delivered another run-scoring single. Hamlin followed with a base hit, Walker brought in another run, and Denton added a two-run single as Pahrump pushed the lead to 9-2.
The Rattlers chipped away in the fourth and fifth, cutting the score to 9-7, but the Aztecs responded with one of their strongest innings of the game in the sixth. Montanez doubled, Mendoza doubled him in, Walker tripled home another run, Denton drove in Walker on a groundout, Lawrence doubled, Aguilar added an RBI double and Nunez singled in another run to make it 14-7.
The Rattlers scored once in the bottom of the sixth, but Pahrump added insurance in the seventh when Hamlin hit an inside-the-park home run, bringing in Mendoza and extending the lead to 16-8. Denton came on to pitch the final inning and helped close out the 16-10 win.
Mendoza had a standout all-around game, going 4-for-5 with three RBIs while also pitching six innings. The Aztecs finished with 19 hits, with Montanez, Hamlin, Walker, Denton, Lawrence, Aguilar, Nunez and Eagan all contributing offensively.
On Tuesday, June 9, the Aztecs returned home to face the Las Vegas Varsity Wildcats and again started strong. Kevin Farrell opened on the mound and the Pahrump defense backed him with a clean first inning, including catches in center by Denton and a lineout to right field by Urijah Torres.
In the bottom of the first, Denton singled, Hamlin walked and Walker singled to load the bases. Tristan Torres grounded into a double play, but Denton scored on the play to put Pahrump ahead. Lawrence then doubled to left field to bring in Hamlin, giving the Aztecs a 2-0 lead.
Farrell followed with a strong second inning, striking out one batter and getting help from Aguilar at third and Lawrence at first to keep the Wildcats scoreless. In the bottom half, Farrell helped himself with a double, and after Urijah Torres walked and Logan Nunez was hit by a pitch, Denton singled to drive in Farrell and make it 3-0.
The Wildcats got one run back in the third, but Farrell and the defense limited the inning. Las Vegas then put together a big fourth inning to move ahead 7-3. Pahrump used Denton and Aguilar on the mound during the inning, and Hamlin ended the frame with a lineout at shortstop.
Although the Aztecs were unable to regain the lead, Aguilar gave Pahrump a strong finish on the mound. He worked scoreless fifth, sixth and seventh innings, striking out five across his appearance and giving the Aztecs a chance to stay within reach.
Pahrump continued to battle offensively, with Nunez walking in the fifth, Hamlin adding a single and Walker drawing a walk, but the Wildcats worked out of the inning. The Aztecs were held off the board the rest of the way and fell 7-3.
Despite the loss, the Aztecs had several positives to build on, including early offense, steady defensive plays and a strong relief outing from Aguilar. Denton and Lawrence each had two hits, while Hamlin, Walker and Farrell also added to Pahrump’s seven-hit effort.
