After hosting The Meadows Mustangs earlier in the week on April 7, where they came up short in a 9-6 contest, the Pahrump Valley High School baseball team hit the road on Thursday, April 9, looking to split the two-game series. The Trojans came out strong and battled throughout, but ultimately fell 11-5 in a game that once again showcased their ability to compete and respond.
Pahrump Valley turned to Vinny Whitney on the mound to start the game, and the Trojans wasted no time setting the tone offensively in the top of the first. Tony Whitney led off with a sharp double to left field, immediately putting pressure on the Mustangs. After a groundout moved the inning along, Kayne Horibe and Ben Cimperman worked back-to-back walks to load the bases. Vinny Whitney delivered a sacrifice fly to bring home the first run, and Anthony Montanez followed with a line-drive single to center, giving the Trojans an early 2-0 lead.
In the bottom half, Whitney worked through early traffic, picking up a key strikeout to limit the Mustangs to a single run and keep Pahrump Valley in front.
The Trojans threatened again in the second inning as Dominik Wilson doubled and Dominic Chiancone added a single to put runners in scoring position. While the Mustangs escaped the inning, Pahrump Valley continued to apply pressure at the plate. Defensively, Whitney settled in with a clean inning, backed by solid play behind him.
Pahrump Valley extended its lead in the third. After Vinny Whitney doubled, he eventually came around to score on a passed ball, pushing the Trojans ahead 3-1 and maintaining early momentum.
The Mustangs answered in the bottom of the inning, capitalizing on a combination of hits and walks to take their first lead of the game at 5-3. Despite the surge, Whitney recorded an important strikeout to help close out the inning.
The Trojans responded again in the fourth. Tony Whitney reached base and advanced with aggressive baserunning before CJ Nelson delivered an RBI single to cut the deficit to one. On the mound, Dominik Wilson took over and worked through the inning, highlighted by a strikeout that helped keep the game within reach.
In the fifth, Pahrump Valley continued to battle. After Vinny Whitney reached, Wilson came through with a clutch double to drive in the tying run, evening the score at 5-5. The defense followed it up in the bottom half with a key double play turned by Tony Whitney and the infield, helping maintain the tie and keep momentum on the Trojans’ side.
The sixth inning proved to be the difference, as The Meadows capitalized on multiple opportunities to put together a big inning. Despite efforts from Wilson and later Cody Fried on the mound, the Mustangs were able to string together hits and take advantage of an error to extend their lead.
Pahrump Valley continued to compete in the final inning, with Wilson adding another hit and Jack Walker drawing a walk to keep the inning alive, but the Mustangs were able to close things out.
Offensively, Tony Whitney set the tone at the top of the lineup with multiple hits and aggressive baserunning, while Wilson stood out with extra-base hits and key RBIs. Montanez and Nelson also contributed timely hits as the Trojans consistently found ways to answer.
On the mound, Whitney delivered a strong start, with Wilson and Fried providing relief innings as the Trojans worked to contain the Mustangs’ offense.
While the Trojans were unable to secure the split, the back-to-back matchups highlighted their ability to jump out early, respond in key moments, and continue competing inning by inning—an encouraging sign as they move forward in the season.
