The Pahrump Aztecs Silver 17U put together a strong night at home Tuesday, June 16, sweeping Pinecrest Academy Cadence Varsity Cougars in a doubleheader with 18-2 and 20-1 wins.
Pahrump served as the home team in game one before taking the field as the visiting team in game two, and the Aztecs found production throughout the lineup while receiving steady work on the mound from Kevin Farrell, Levi Denton, Cody Fried and Logan Nunez.
Pinecrest opened game one with a brief 1-0 lead in the top of the first, but Farrell quickly worked through the inning. He struck out the first batter he faced, added another strikeout for the second out, and ended the frame with a third strikeout after Pinecrest pushed one run across.
The Aztecs answered with a long bottom half of the inning. Anthony Montanez walked and Levi Denton was hit by a pitch before both created movement on the bases. Montanez came home during a steal sequence, and Paul Walker followed with an RBI single to bring in Denton.
Cody Fried kept the inning moving with a single, and Ryan Hamlin gave Pahrump the lead for good with a two-run triple to center. Sammy Mendoza brought Hamlin home on a groundout, Daniel Aguilar reached and later scored on Farrell’s RBI single, and Urijah Torres and Logan Nunez each added run-scoring hits as the Aztecs built a 9-1 lead.
Farrell returned in the second and limited Pinecrest after a leadoff double. Urijah Torres and Keith Lawrence handled a ground ball for the first out before Farrell finished the inning with back-to-back strikeouts.
Pahrump added more separation in the bottom of the second. Denton walked, Walker reached, and Fried singled to bring in Denton. Hamlin then delivered the biggest swing of the opener, driving a three-run home run to left field to stretch the lead to 13-1. Aguilar later reached again, and Lawrence followed with an RBI double.
Farrell set Pinecrest down in order in the third, striking out the leadoff hitter, handling a pop up himself and getting a line out to Urijah Torres at second.
Pinecrest added one run in the fourth, but the Aztecs held the inning in check. Hamlin recorded a pop out at shortstop, Farrell added another strikeout and the inning ended on a ground ball back to the mound.
The Aztecs answered again in the bottom of the fourth. Fried was hit by a pitch and Hamlin singled before Mendoza drove in a run with a base hit. Aguilar was hit by a pitch, Lawrence worked a bases-loaded walk, Tristan Torres brought in another run on a groundout and Urijah Torres singled to score Aguilar for an 18-2 advantage.
Denton took over on the mound in the fifth and struck out the first two hitters he faced to close out the opener.
Hamlin led the way in game one with three hits, including a triple and a home run, five RBIs and three runs scored. Fried had two hits and scored three times, while Urijah Torres added two hits and two RBIs. Farrell struck out seven across four innings before Denton finished the game with two strikeouts in relief.
In game two, with Pahrump batting first as the visiting team, the Aztecs opened with another quick offensive surge.
Montanez started the game with a single, Denton reached, and Walker walked to load the bases. Fried then turned on a pitch and sent a grand slam to left field, giving Pahrump a 4-0 lead before Pinecrest recorded an out.
Hamlin walked and later scored on Lawrence’s RBI single. Farrell followed with a triple to bring in Lawrence, giving the Aztecs a 6-0 lead after the top of the first.
Fried took the mound for Pahrump and delivered a dominant start. He struck out the side in the bottom of the first, then came back in the second and struck out three more, recording all six outs in his two innings by strikeout.
The Aztecs added to the lead in the third. Hamlin tripled and scored on Mendoza’s sacrifice fly. Aguilar reached and later came home to make it 8-0.
Nunez entered to pitch in the third and got immediate defensive support. After a leadoff walk, Pahrump turned a double play from Walker at shortstop to Hamlin at second and Farrell at first. Aguilar then handled a pop up at third to end the inning.
The fourth inning brought another big push from the Aztecs lineup. Tristan Torres singled, Urijah Torres moved him over, and Nunez walked before Montanez doubled in a run. Denton followed with a two-run single, Walker added an RBI single and Fried doubled in another run.
Hamlin singled, Aguilar doubled in a run, Lawrence drove in two more with a double, Farrell singled, Tristan Torres added an RBI single and Urijah Torres followed with another run-scoring hit as Pahrump stretched the lead to 18-0.
Pinecrest scored once in the bottom of the fourth, but the Aztecs responded in the fifth. Montanez doubled, Denton tripled him home and Walker doubled to score Denton, bringing the final margin to 20-1.
Nunez stayed on the mound through the final innings and helped finish the sweep.
Fried’s grand slam highlighted game two, as he finished with five RBIs. Lawrence had three hits and three RBIs, Montanez collected three hits, Denton drove in three runs and scored three times, and Walker added two hits and two RBIs. On the mound, Fried struck out six in two innings, while Nunez worked the final stretch and allowed just one run.
The doubleheader gave the Aztecs Silver 17U a complete team showing at home, with multiple players contributing at the plate, in the field and on the mound throughout both wins.
