The Pahrump Valley High School Trojans baseball put together a strong all-around performance on Friday, March 27, earning a 9-4 road win over the Virgin Valley Bulldogs in Mesquite. With the victory, the Trojans completed a two-game sweep of the Bulldogs after a dramatic 10-inning win at home on Wednesday, March 25.
Pahrump opened the game in the top of the first with Tony Whitney, Anthony Montanez and Vinny Whitney all putting balls in play, but the Bulldogs’ defense held firm with three quick outs.
On the defensive side in the bottom half, Vinny Whitney took the mound and worked through early traffic. A leadoff single was quickly erased on a fielder’s choice from Tony Whitney to Dominic Chiancone. Whitney followed with a strikeout and, after another single, Cody Fried secured the final out with a pop fly in right to keep the game scoreless.
The second inning saw both teams settle in. The Trojans were retired in order despite a hard-hit ball from Kayne Horibe, while the defense turned in one of its cleanest sequences of the game in the bottom half. After an error and a single put runners on, Tony Whitney started a sharp double play, helping Pahrump escape the inning without damage.
In the third, the Trojans began to apply pressure. Dominik Wilson worked a walk and Chiancone followed with a line-drive single, advancing Wilson to third. Although the run was cut down at the plate and the inning ended without a score, the Trojans showed signs of breaking through. Defensively, Sammy Mendoza handled a groundout at first, while the middle infield duo of Tony Whitney and Chiancone combined again on another fielder’s choice to keep the Bulldogs off the board.
Both teams remained locked in through the fourth inning. Vinny Whitney and the defense stayed composed, with Chiancone making a clean play on a pop up and Mendoza and Whitney teaming up for another routine groundout to close the inning.
The game turned dramatically in the fifth.
Horibe sparked the inning with a single, and after Wilson reached on a walk and Chiancone added another hit, the Trojans loaded the bases with momentum building. Tony Whitney delivered the breakthrough with a two-run double to center, followed immediately by an RBI double from Montanez. With the Bulldogs pitching staff under pressure, Vinny Whitney, Ben Cimperman and Cody Fried each drew walks to keep the line moving and add another run.
Horibe then delivered the biggest swing of the night, sending a triple to center that cleared the bases and stretched the lead. Wilson capped the rally with an RBI double, as the Trojans erupted for a seven-run inning and an 8-0 advantage.
Back on defense in the bottom of the fifth, Horibe tracked down a line drive in center, while the infield once again turned a fielder’s choice to erase a baserunner and maintain control.
Pahrump added to its lead in the sixth inning with patient at-bats, as Montanez and Vinny Whitney each drew walks and advanced into scoring position, though the Bulldogs were able to limit further damage.
Virgin Valley answered in the bottom half, stringing together walks and timely hits to plate three runs. Despite the rally, the Trojans limited the damage with a key groundout to Mendoza and maintained a comfortable lead heading into the final inning.
In the top of the seventh, Horibe continued his strong night at the plate with another single and aggressive baserunning. He eventually scored on a groundout by Wilson, adding an insurance run for the Trojans.
The Bulldogs made one final push in the bottom of the seventh, taking advantage of a pair of errors and a base hit to score a run and put pressure on the defense. With the tying run far from reach but momentum briefly shifting, Cody Fried stepped in on the mound and delivered two clutch strikeouts. Tony Whitney then secured the final out on a pop fly at shortstop, sealing the 9-4 victory.
Head Coach Drew Middleton praised his team’s effort and resilience following the win.
“Really good competitive game. Huge win to start 2-0 in league. Starts on the bump with Vinny Whitney going 5.2 innings and only giving up 3 runs. Held Virgin to 0 runs through the first 5 innings which was huge. We started slow offensively, ran into a couple of outs on the bases, couldn’t come up with clutch hits. But we finally broke through with 8 runs in the 5th inning (all of them coming with 2 outs) just shows how much this team can battle adversity and find a way to win.”
From start to finish, the Trojans combined disciplined at-bats with consistent defensive plays, highlighted by multiple fielder’s choices, a key double play and strong pitching performances. The explosive fifth inning proved to be the difference, as Pahrump showcased both its offensive depth and ability to respond in key moments—finishing off a well-earned sweep of the Bulldogs.
*Photos taken by Alina Veloz.
