Pahrump Valley Little League’s 8-10 All Star team, the Tailgaters, continued its impressive postseason run Wednesday, July 15, rallying past Peccole 5-2 in its third straight victory to earn a spot in the Division 4 Championship Game.
After falling behind in the opening inning, Pahrump settled in behind strong pitching, sharp defense and timely hitting, shutting Peccole out the rest of the way while scoring five unanswered runs to secure the win.
Peccole struck first in the top of the opening inning with back-to-back singles before a groundout brought home two runs for a quick 2-0 advantage. Pahrump limited the damage thanks to a heads-up defensive play to end the inning, as right fielder Isaiah Banuelos caught a fly ball and fired to pitcher Isaiah Parry to double off the runner attempting to advance.
The Tailgaters answered immediately in the bottom half. Javier Nogales opened the inning with a single and quickly stole second before Isaiah Parry followed with a line-drive single. A passed ball allowed Nogales to cross the plate, trimming the deficit to 2-1. Although Liam Olson advanced Parry to third with a groundout, Peccole escaped without further damage.
Parry settled into a rhythm on the mound in the second inning, striking out two batters while allowing only a groundout between them for a scoreless frame. Defensively, Paxton Larsen handled the first out cleanly at third before throwing across the diamond to Oliver Trudeau at first.
Pahrump threatened in the bottom of the second as Trudeau and Banuelos each collected singles, but Peccole’s defense prevented the tying run from crossing the plate.
The Tailgaters continued to play clean defense in the third. Larsen recorded another groundout from third base, Banuelos tracked down a fly ball in right field and Banuelos came on in relief to strike out the final batter after Parry issued a two-out walk.
Pahrump put another runner aboard in the bottom of the third when Nolan Willinsky drew a walk. Raylan Calleros successfully laid down a sacrifice bunt to move the runner into scoring position, but Peccole cut down an attempted steal of home to end the inning and preserve its 2-1 lead.
The game turned in the fourth.
Banuelos, pitching for Pahrump, worked around a leadoff walk with help from his defense. Larsen erased the lead runner at third on an alert play, Sage O’Neal snared a line drive at second base and Banuelos fielded a ground ball before throwing to Trudeau to finish another scoreless inning.
The Tailgaters capitalized on the momentum in the bottom half.
Nogales led off with a double to right before O’Neal worked a walk. After Parry advanced both runners with a productive groundout, Olson delivered the biggest hit of the game to that point, driving a two-run double to right field that gave Pahrump its first lead at 3-2.
After a strikeout, Trudeau added an RBI single to score courtesy runner Sebastian “Bash” Tillery, extending the advantage to 4-2. Banuelos followed with another single, and an ensuing passed ball allowed Trudeau to score Pahrump’s fifth run before the inning came to a close.
Peccole mounted one final threat in the fifth with three singles putting runners aboard, but Pahrump’s pitching staff refused to break. Banuelos recorded a key strikeout before Nogales took over on the mound and ended the inning with another strikeout, stranding the tying runs.
The Tailgaters looked to add insurance in the bottom of the fifth. Nolan Willinsky singled to start the inning and Larsen followed with a bunt single. Calleros executed his second successful sacrifice bunt of the game to move both runners into scoring position before Nogales drew a walk to load the bases. O’Neal put the ball in play for an infield single, though Peccole recorded the force out at the plate to keep the score unchanged, and the inning ended on a fly out.
With a three-run cushion entering the sixth, Nogales took control on the mound. After a groundout handled by Larsen and Trudeau, he struck out the final two batters of the game to seal the 5-2 victory.
Pahrump’s defense was outstanding throughout the contest, with Larsen making several strong plays at third base, Trudeau providing a steady target at first, O’Neal contributing key defensive outs at second and Banuelos making an impact both in right field and on the mound. The Tailgaters also received strong offensive performances from Nogales, Olson, Trudeau, Banuelos and Parry, while Calleros’ pair of sacrifice bunts helped manufacture scoring opportunities.
The victory marked the Tailgaters’ third consecutive win in the Division 4 All-Star Tournament, continuing an impressive run after opening tournament play. With the win, Pahrump advances to the Division 4 Championship Game on Friday, July 18, at 8 p.m. at Mountain Ridge Park in Las Vegas. The Tailgaters will have an opportunity to play for the district title and, with a victory, earn a berth in the Nevada State Little League Tournament.
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