The Pahrump Valley High School baseball team leaned on timely adjustments, steady pitching, and strong defensive execution to earn a 4-1 win over Moapa Valley at home on Thursday, April 23, closing out league play on a positive note.
Moapa Valley threatened early in the top of the first, opening the game with back-to-back singles to put immediate pressure on the Trojans’ defense. With runners on, Pahrump Valley turned to its infield to settle things down. Tony Whitney and Anthony Montanez combined on a fielder’s choice to cut down a runner advancing, and Montanez finished the inning with a clean play at third, helping strand runners and keep the game scoreless.
The Trojans wasted little time answering in the bottom half. Tony Whitney reached on an error to get things started, and Anthony Montanez followed by getting hit by a pitch. With two on, CJ Nelson delivered the first big swing of the day, lacing a double to right field that brought Whitney home for a 1-0 lead. While Moapa Valley managed to limit further damage with a pair of strikeouts, the early run set the tone.
On the mound, Sammy Mendoza settled in quickly after the first inning. In the second, he worked around a walk, getting a pair of pop outs—including one handled by Cody Fried in right—and a ground ball from Whitney to Nelson to end the frame. Mendoza continued to find a rhythm in the third, striking out a batter and inducing weak contact, including a grounder fielded cleanly by Dominic Chiancone at second.
Pahrump Valley had opportunities to build on its lead over the next few innings. In the third, Montanez singled and Nelson drew a walk to put two aboard, but Moapa Valley escaped with a fielder’s choice and a strikeout. In the fourth, Dominic Chiancone and Jacob Selbach both reached to set up another scoring chance, but a pop out and a fly ball kept the Trojans from adding on.
Defensively, the Trojans continued to make key plays behind Mendoza. The fourth inning featured one of the game’s biggest moments, as Montanez, Chiancone, and Nelson combined for a smooth 5-4-3 double play to erase a leadoff baserunner. Mendoza followed with a strikeout to end the inning, maintaining the slim lead.
Moapa Valley continued to test the defense in the fifth, placing a runner in scoring position, but again the Trojans answered. Montanez handled a ground ball at third for an out, Nelson secured a pop up at first, and Mendoza fielded his position on a grounder to first to close the inning.
The breakthrough for Pahrump Valley came in the bottom of the fifth. Kayne Horibe sparked the rally with a line-drive single and quickly moved into scoring position with a steal. After advancing to third on a bunt by Fried, Horibe came home on a single from Ben Cimperman to make it 2-0.
That was just the start. Dominic Chiancone followed with a double to put two runners in scoring position, and Selbach added a bunt single to load the bases. With the pressure mounting, Tony Whitney delivered again—driving a line-drive single to center that brought in two more runs and extended the lead to 4-0. The sequence highlighted the Trojans’ shift to a more aggressive, small-ball approach that paid off in a big way.
With a cushion to work with, Mendoza continued to attack the strike zone. In the sixth, he worked around an error, recording a strikeout and getting a pair of outs on well-hit balls handled cleanly in the outfield by Selbach and Fried.
The Trojans added a couple of baserunners in the bottom of the sixth, including a hit-by-pitch to Dominik Wilson and a single from Fried, but Moapa Valley kept the deficit at four heading into the final inning.
In the seventh, Moapa Valley made one last push. A walk and a single put runners on, and a late hit brought in a run to cut the lead to 4-1. But Mendoza stayed composed, inducing a fielder’s choice and closing the door with another strikeout to secure the win.
Mendoza’s performance on the mound proved to be the difference, as he consistently threw strikes and kept Moapa Valley off balance throughout the game while getting strong support from his defense behind him.
After the game, Head Coach Drew Middleton noted the team’s persistence and eventual adjustment at the plate.
“It was a weird game. We had guys on base in scoring position every inning but couldn’t get the key hit to separate us from Moapa,” Middleton said. “So in the fifth we started bunting all over the place, and it helped score three runs and break it open a little bit.”
He also praised Mendoza’s steady presence on the mound.
“Which is all Sammy needed as he did what he’s done all season—throw a ton of strikes and keep the opposition on their heels.”
With the win, the Trojans finish league play at 5-3 and enter the postseason as the No. 3 seed, carrying momentum into what Middleton described as “the most exciting time of the year—playoff baseball.”
