The Pahrump Valley club baseball team (Aztecs) packed a full day of action into Saturday, January 17, taking on Green Valley and Desert Oasis in a doubleheader held at Desert Oasis. Across both games, the Aztecs showed steady improvement at the plate, timely pitching changes, and a late surge that kept both contests competitive into the final innings.
Game One: Aztecs vs. Green Valley
The opener against Green Valley began with a challenging first inning for the Aztecs. After a quick three up, three down at the plate, Green Valley capitalized in the bottom half with a string of singles and defensive miscues, building an early 4–0 lead against Aztecs starter Kevin Farrell.
Pahrump Valley worked to answer back in the second. Jack Walker drew a walk, and later in the inning Leiland Delgado singled and Deston Clinton walked to load the bases, but the Aztecs were unable to bring a run home. The defense responded with a strong four-up, three-down inning to keep the deficit manageable.
Green Valley added three runs in the third and two more in the fourth to extend its advantage, but the tone of the game shifted in the top of the fifth. Tristen Torres opened the inning with a single, followed by hits from Delgado and a walk by Clinton to load the bases. A series of walks brought in three runs, putting the Aztecs on the board. Delgado then took over on the mound and quickly retired Green Valley, including catching a runner stealing, to keep momentum on Pahrump Valley’s side.
That momentum carried into the next at-bat. Jacob Selbach walked, Cody Fried doubled, and Jack Walker was hit by a pitch to load the bases once again. Daniel Aguilar delivered a hard-hit double that drove in two runs. With the Aztecs closing the gap, time expired before the rally could continue, and Green Valley held on for a 9–5 win.
Game Two: Aztecs vs. Desert Oasis
The Aztecs wasted no time getting on the scoreboard in the second game. CJ Nelson walked, moved into scoring position on a double by Cody Fried, and crossed the plate on an RBI groundout by Selbach to give Pahrump Valley an early 1–0 lead.
Fried took the mound and worked efficiently through the first inning, getting help from the defense, including a caught stealing. Desert Oasis managed to score once before the inning ended, tying the game.
Both teams were held scoreless through the middle innings until Desert Oasis broke through in the fourth with a sacrifice fly and capitalized on a pair of errors to take a 4–1 lead.
The Aztecs answered in the fifth when Fried doubled and later scored on a single by Daniel Aguilar, trimming the deficit to two. Pahrump Valley’s defense followed with a scoreless bottom half to keep the game within reach.
In the sixth, the Aztecs mounted another rally. Delgado reached on an error, Levi Denton doubled to drive him in, and Denton later scored on a wild pitch to knot the game at 4–4. Desert Oasis responded in the bottom of the inning with two runs to close out the contest.
Despite the pair of losses, the doubleheader showcased the Aztecs’ ability to adjust as the day went on, generate late offense, and stay competitive against strong opponents. The experience gained from the back-to-back games provided valuable reps and set the foundation for continued growth as the season moves forward.
