The Pahrump Valley High School Lady Trojans continued their impressive run at the Colorado River Invitational in Needles, California on Friday, February 27, adding two more dominant performances to their tournament résumé. With a 6-2 win over Legacy High School and a commanding 10-0 victory against rival Boulder City, the Trojans showcased balanced offense, aggressive baserunning, and steady pitching throughout the day.
In their third game of the tournament, the Lady Trojans faced the Legacy Longhorns from North Las Vegas and secured a 6-2 win in a game defined by a big second inning and strong work in the circle from Evalenne Armendariz.
Playing as the home team, the Trojans opened with Armendariz setting the tone in the top of the first. She struck out the leadoff batter before Mariah Gray fielded a ground ball cleanly at third and fired to Jaelyn Rodriguez at first for the second out. After a Legacy single to right field, Natalie Soto tracked down a fly ball in left to end the inning.
The Trojans were held scoreless in the first despite loading the bases. Aspen Middaugh led off with a bunt, Dakota Glenn was hit by a pitch, and Gray reached on an error. Armendariz drew a walk to load the bases, but a pop out and a runner caught stealing ended the early threat.
Armendariz worked out of trouble in the second after Legacy loaded the bases. Following a strikeout to start the inning, a fielding error and back-to-back singles put pressure on the defense. The Trojans responded with a heads-up pickoff at second and another strikeout to strand the runners and keep the Longhorns off the board.
The breakthrough came in the bottom of the second. After two quick outs, Myah Krolczyk sparked the rally with a single, and Avi Michel was hit by a pitch. Middaugh dropped down a bunt single to load the bases. Glenn drew a walk to plate the first run, and Gray followed with a line drive to left that scored two more after an outfield error. Armendariz walked to reload the bases, and Madison Rodriguez was hit by a pitch to force in another run. A walk to Jaelyn Rodriguez brought home another, and Sadie Freeman’s single allowed courtesy runner Riley Saldaña to score. By the end of the inning, the Trojans had built a 6-0 lead.
Legacy answered in the top of the third with two runs after a pair of singles and a hit-by-pitch set up a two-run base hit, but the Trojans tightened up defensively from there. Both teams were scoreless in the fourth, and the game concluded after four innings with Pahrump securing the 6-2 victory.
Later that day, the Lady Trojans took the field again—this time against longtime rival Boulder City—and delivered their most dominant performance of the tournament with a 10-0 shutout.
Jaycie Hayes was exceptional in the circle, pitching a no-hitter while keeping the Eagles completely off balance throughout the contest. In the top of the first, she induced a groundout to shortstop and struck out two Eagles to send Boulder City down in order.
The Trojans wasted no time capitalizing offensively. Middaugh led off with a walk, and Autumn Colon executed a sacrifice bunt to move her into scoring position. Hayes walked, and courtesy runner Sydney Crotty entered and promptly stole second while Middaugh swiped third. Armendariz grounded out to score Middaugh, and Gray reached on an error that allowed Crotty to cross the plate, giving Pahrump a 2-0 lead after one.
The Trojans added another in the second. After Madison Rodriguez was hit by a pitch and later scored on a line drive single from Sadie Freeman, Pahrump extended the lead to 3-0. Hayes continued to control the game in the circle, recording multiple strikeouts and limiting the Eagles to only baserunners via walks and a couple of Trojan defensive miscues.
The third inning proved decisive. Armendariz singled and courtesy runner Natalie Soto advanced aggressively on the basepaths. Gray reached on an error, and both courtesy runners—Soto and Dakota Glenn—moved into scoring position with smart baserunning. A passed ball allowed Soto to score before Madison Rodriguez delivered the biggest swing of the game—a line drive home run to left field that plated three runs and broke the game open.
The Trojans kept the pressure on. Riley Saldaña reached on an error and advanced to third before scoring on a groundout by Middaugh. By the end of the third inning, Pahrump led 7-0.
Hayes and the defense continued to stifle the Eagles in the fourth. After a quick flyout and two strikeouts, Boulder City remained hitless. In the bottom half, Armendariz singled again to start the rally. Soto advanced and later scored on a groundout by Jaelyn Rodriguez. Saldaña then ripped a triple to left field, driving in another run and sealing the 10-0 victory via run rule.
Across both games, the Lady Trojans displayed depth in their lineup, disciplined at-bats, and relentless energy on the bases. Hayes’ no-hitter against Boulder City highlighted an already strong defensive effort, while the offense continued to produce runs in key moments.
Two more wins on Friday kept the Lady Trojans rolling in Needles—confident, cohesive, and clearly hitting their stride early in the season.
*Photos are from a previous game earlier this season.
