The Pahrump Aztecs Silver 17U responded to an early setback with one of their strongest performances of the summer Wednesday, July 1, splitting a home doubleheader against the Las Vegas Aces Silver. After falling 13-1 in the opener, the Aztecs regrouped behind timely hitting, solid pitching and steady defense to earn a 9-3 victory in the nightcap.
Cody Fried started on the mound in the first game and received outstanding defensive support early. Center fielder Levi Denton turned one of the game’s best plays in the opening inning, making a catch before doubling a runner off first base, then adding another running grab to keep the game scoreless.
The Aces broke through with two runs in the second, but Pahrump answered immediately. Ryan Hamlin reached on a walk before Levi Denton lined an RBI single into right field to score Hamlin and trim the deficit to 2-1. Denton remained aggressive on the bases, stealing second and advancing to third before the inning ended.
The Aztecs continued to battle throughout the game. Hamlin threw out a runner attempting to steal in the third inning, Fried added a leadoff double in the fourth, and Bradin Weaver came on in relief during the fifth while Ben Cimperman capped the inning by picking a runner off third base. Despite those efforts, the Aces capitalized on several scoring opportunities to pull away for the 13-1 victory.
Pahrump wasted little time turning the page for the second game.
Ben Cimperman got the start on the mound and escaped an early first-inning threat before the Aztecs’ offense came alive in the second.
Sammy Mendoza opened the inning with a walk before Austin Abuelar and Ryan Hamlin also reached safely. Levi Denton worked another walk to load the bases, bringing Paul Walker to the plate. Walker delivered the game’s biggest hit to that point, lacing a bases-clearing double into center field to give the Aztecs a 3-0 lead.
Cimperman settled into a groove on the mound, striking out two batters in a scoreless second inning while Walker continued making plays defensively from second base.
The Aztecs threatened again in the third as Logan Nunez singled and Mendoza followed with another base hit. Although they didn’t add to the scoreboard, they continued forcing the Aces’ pitchers to work.
The defense remained sharp through the middle innings. Anthony Montanez handled a popup at shortstop, Cody Fried tracked down a foul ball in left field, Mendoza fielded a bunt cleanly at third, and Keith Lawrence consistently finished plays at first base while Cimperman kept the visitors off balance.
Pahrump extended its lead in the fifth inning.
Cimperman and Montanez were both hit by pitches before Mendoza drew a walk to load the bases. Lawrence lifted a sacrifice fly to left field to score Logan Nunez, making it 4-0. Bradin Weaver then worked a walk before Hamlin lined a two-run single into center, bringing home Montanez and Mendoza to stretch the advantage to 6-0.
The Aztecs continued playing fundamentally sound baseball in the field. Walker recorded another assist from second base, Montanez made a strong throw across the diamond, and Denton secured another out in center field.
Pahrump added three more insurance runs in the sixth.
Walker reached after being hit by a pitch before Fried singled. Mendoza again worked a walk to load the bases, and Lawrence forced home a run with a bases-loaded walk. Weaver followed with another walk to bring in a second run before Damon Eagan added an RBI walk, extending the lead to 9-0.
The Aces managed three runs in the seventh after Logan Nunez entered in relief, but the Aztecs stayed composed. Walker handled another ground ball cleanly from second, Lawrence secured an infield popup at first, and Nunez closed out the victory by striking out the final batter looking.
Walker led the offense with three hits, including his bases-clearing double, while driving in three runs. Denton finished with two hits and two runs scored while continuing to anchor the defense in center field. Hamlin added two RBIs with his key fifth-inning single, Mendoza reached base four times and scored twice, and Fried collected two hits. Lawrence drove in two runs, while Cimperman delivered a strong start on the mound before Nunez recorded the final outs to secure an impressive bounce-back victory.
This version keeps the opener to about four paragraphs while allowing the second game—the win—to carry the story, which is typically the stronger newspaper approach for a split doubleheader. It also keeps the focus on the Aztecs’ response rather than dwelling on the loss.
