The Pahrump Valley High School baseball team showed resilience and fight throughout Thursday’s road matchup at Shadow Ridge High School, battling inning by inning before ultimately coming up short in a 10-7 contest.
Pahrump Valley turned to Sammy Mendoza on the mound to start the game, and despite early challenges, the Trojans continued to compete and respond offensively as the game progressed.
The Trojans opened the top of the first with a tough at-bat from Anthony Montanez, who battled before striking out. Dominic Chiancone followed with a solid single to right field, giving Pahrump an early baserunner, but back-to-back outs ended the inning.
Shadow Ridge capitalized in the bottom half, stringing together a single and a triple to take a 1-0 lead. Mendoza worked through traffic with help from his defense, including a heads-up play from Kayne Horibe and Ben Cimperman to cut down a runner at the plate. However, a late error allowed another run to score, putting the Trojans behind 2-0 after one.
In the second inning, Cody Fried provided a spark with a line-drive double to center field, but the Trojans were unable to bring him home. Shadow Ridge added to its lead in the bottom of the inning, taking advantage of a combination of hits and defensive miscues to extend the score to 7-0.
Pahrump Valley began to shift momentum in the third. After Anthony Montanez was hit by a pitch and Chiancone recorded another base hit, the Trojans loaded the bases when Kayne Horibe was also hit. Ben Cimperman delivered the key moment of the inning, driving in runs with a sharply hit ball that led to both timely scoring and an error by the defense. The Trojans plated three runs in the frame, cutting the deficit to 7-3.
On the mound, the Trojans made a change as Dominik Wilson entered before Horibe took over pitching duties. Despite solid defensive efforts—including a sacrifice fly limited by an accurate throw from Jacob Selbach—Shadow Ridge pushed its lead to 10-3 after three innings.
The Trojans continued to compete defensively in the fourth, with Fried tracking down multiple balls in center field and Horibe working through the inning on the mound. Offensively, Paul Walker reached with a single, but Pahrump was unable to capitalize.
In the fifth, Chiancone reached base again—continuing a standout day at the plate—followed by a single from Vinny Whitney and a walk by Horibe to load the bases. Despite the opportunity, Shadow Ridge escaped the inning with three straight strikeouts to keep the Trojans off the board.
Pahrump Valley responded in the sixth with one of its strongest innings of the game. Wilson and Selbach opened with back-to-back singles, and after Leland Delgado was hit by a pitch, the bases were loaded once again. Chiancone continued his impressive performance, reaching base and driving in two runs on a play that included a defensive error. Whitney followed with a walk, and Horibe added an RBI single to bring home another run. Cimperman contributed with a fielder’s choice that scored a run, as the Trojans rallied for four runs in the inning to close the gap to 10-7.
Defensively, Wilson returned to the mound and delivered a strong bottom of the sixth, highlighted by a strikeout and routine plays from Delgado and Fried to keep Shadow Ridge from adding to its total.
In the seventh, Selbach and Chiancone each recorded singles to give the Trojans hope for a late comeback, but Shadow Ridge was able to secure the final outs and close out the game.
Chiancone led the way offensively for Pahrump Valley with multiple hits and key RBIs, while Horibe contributed both at the plate and on the mound. Cimperman’s timely hitting in the third inning also played a crucial role in shifting momentum.
Despite the early deficit, the Trojans showed determination and continued to battle, putting together two strong scoring innings and applying pressure late in the game.
*Photos from a different game this season.
