The Pahrump Valley Little League Junior All-Stars — better known as the Coco Locos — closed out an impressive Division 4 All-Star tournament run Tuesday, June 23 at Mountain Ridge Park, finishing as tournament runner-up after an 11-8 championship game loss to Summerlin North. While the final score did not go Pahrump’s way, the Coco Locos showed determination throughout the night, battling until the final out and never letting the game get away from them.
Coming off four games in a short stretch and playing their fifth contest in nearly as many days, Pahrump once again leaned on heart, timely plays and a refusal to quit.
The championship opened as a pitcher’s duel.
Anthony Aguilar got the start on the mound for the Coco Locos and immediately received defensive support behind him. After allowing an opening single, Pahrump turned one of its biggest defensive plays of the game when Kasen Smith and Sawyer Tillery combined for a double play to erase the baserunner. Stetson Brown then handled the final out of the inning from shortstop to first to keep the game scoreless.
Pahrump’s offense was quiet early as Summerlin North starter Kason Bresee worked efficiently through the opening innings. Brown struck out in the first before Smith and Justin Forsythe both recorded groundouts.
Aguilar settled into rhythm in the second and third innings.
In the second, after allowing a single, he stranded the runner by getting a flyout and strikeout. In the third, Pahrump’s defense stayed sharp with Smith recording another ground-ball out and Aguilar striking out a batter before Brown tracked down a popup at short to end another scoreless frame.
The Coco Locos broke through first in the bottom of the third.
Trustin Wagnon sparked the offense with a one-out double into center field and moved to third on a groundout by Aguilar. Alan Rodriguez then put pressure on the defense with a ground ball that resulted in an error, allowing Wagnon to cross the plate and give Pahrump a 1-0 lead.
Summerlin North answered in the fourth.
A combination of hits and aggressive baserunning allowed the visitors to string together four runs and move ahead 4-1. Despite the rally, Aguilar continued attacking the strike zone and worked out of the inning with help from his defense, including a flyout handled by Forsythe and a lineout finished by Aguilar and Tillery.
Pahrump continued battling.
The fifth inning became one of the biggest moments of the game.
After Forsythe opened with a groundout, Everett Abelar started the rally with a single. Bentley Shannon followed with another hit to put two aboard. Pahrump took advantage of pressure situations and defensive miscues to climb back into the game.
A wild pitch brought Abelar home before Zayne Tuck reached and drove in another run. Tuck later created another scoring opportunity with aggressive baserunning, eventually stealing home to tie the game at 4-4. Wagnon added a walk and Aguilar followed with a single to keep momentum alive before the inning ended.
Defensively, Pahrump also produced one of its better moments in the top half when Forsythe and Smith teamed up to catch a runner trying to advance, preventing additional damage.
With the game tied entering the sixth, the championship remained within reach.
Summerlin North found another offensive push in the sixth, putting together several hits and extending its lead. Aguilar remained on the mound through nearly six innings and battled through heavy pitch counts, giving his team every opportunity to stay close before Bentley Shannon entered in relief. Shannon worked through a difficult situation and helped get the final out of the inning.
Chris Mize then came in to close and gave Pahrump one final chance, striking out a batter and limiting additional damage before a strong defensive throw from Tillery to Smith erased a runner on the bases.
Trailing late, the Coco Locos refused to fold.
In the bottom of the seventh, Abelar once again got things started with his second hit of the game. Shannon followed with another hard-hit single and Tuck delivered an RBI hit to bring home Abelar and cut into the deficit.
Even with two outs, Pahrump kept applying pressure.
Wagnon drew a walk, Aguilar earned another free pass to force in a run, Rodriguez followed with another walk that plated a run, and a wild pitch allowed Wagnon to score and trim the margin further. The Coco Locos brought the tying run closer to the plate before the comeback attempt ultimately came to an end.
Several players stood out statistically in the championship effort.
Abelar finished with two hits and scored twice. Shannon also collected two hits and scored two runs. Tuck contributed a hit and drove in two runs, while Wagnon added a double, reached base multiple times and crossed home twice. Aguilar contributed both on the mound and at the plate with a hit, RBI and nearly six innings of work pitching.
After the game, Manager Scott Brown emphasized how proud he was of the group despite the result.
“These guys have the heart,” Brown said. “They battled so hard. This is the fifth game they played almost in a row. I can’t be more proud of them.”
Brown credited Aguilar’s performance on the mound and the effort behind him defensively.
“Anthony Aguilar pitched a heck of a game, and he had a strong defense behind him. That’s what we tell them — throw strikes and if they hit it, it’s our job to make the defensive plays.”
Brown also highlighted Abelar and Shannon for strong offensive performances while noting that the lineup as a whole competed well against quality pitching.
Looking ahead, Brown said he believes this group still has a bright future.
“I just hope the kids grow from this and learn from it. All in all, this is going to be a great group going into high school, and I think they’re going to win some state championships.”
While the championship trophy slipped away, the Coco Locos’ Division 4 tournament run ended with a second-place finish and a week of baseball that showed exactly how much promise this group carries into the years ahead.
