The Pahrump Valley High School varsity softball team put together a steady, inning-by-inning effort on Wednesday, March 25, turning early opportunities and a big fifth inning into a 4-0 home win over Virgin Valley.
The Trojans set the tone immediately behind Jaycie Hayes in the circle. In the top of the first, Hayes struck out two batters and, with help from Natalie Soto in left field on a fly out, retired the side in order.
Pahrump answered in the bottom half. Aspen Middaugh reached on an error to start the inning and advanced aggressively, moving into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt by Riley Saldaña. Middaugh later crossed the plate on a passed ball, giving the Trojans a 1-0 lead. Hayes followed with a walk, and Madison Rodriguez was hit by a pitch, but the inning ended with runners left on.
Virgin Valley threatened in the second, putting two runners on with back-to-back walks and adding another baserunner on a bunt. With the bases loaded, Hayes stayed composed, striking out consecutive batters to end the inning and preserve the lead.
In the bottom of the second, Jaelyn Rodriguez drew a walk and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Sadie Freeman, but Pahrump was unable to bring her home as the inning ended on a pair of outs in the field.
The third inning saw both teams trade chances. Hayes struck out two more batters in the top half, working around a pair of singles to keep Virgin Valley off the board. In the bottom of the inning, Saldaña and Hayes were retired to start things off before the Trojans put together a two-out rally. Evalenne Armendariz lined a single to right, and Madison Rodriguez followed with a double to left, moving Armendariz to third. The threat ended on a strikeout, but Pahrump continued to apply pressure.
Hayes took full control in the fourth inning, striking out all three batters she faced. In the bottom half, Dakota Glenn reached on a bunt and an error, but the Trojans were unable to extend their lead.
Virgin Valley managed a two-out single in the fifth, but Hayes once again shut things down, inducing a fly out to end the inning.
That set the stage for Pahrump’s biggest offensive push of the game.
Leading off the bottom of the fifth, Saldaña sent a fly ball over the left field fence for a solo home run, stretching the lead to 2-0. Hayes followed with a fly out, but the Trojans kept the inning alive. Madison Rodriguez was hit by a pitch, and Mariah Gray reached on an error that allowed Rodriguez to score. Gray later came around to score after another defensive miscue, and Jaelyn Rodriguez reached base on an error that brought in an additional run, pushing the lead to 4-0 before the inning ended.
With a comfortable lead, Hayes and the Trojans’ defense continued to lock things down. In the sixth inning, Hayes struck out two more batters, while the defense handled the rest cleanly. The offense went quietly in the bottom half, but the cushion remained intact.
In the final inning, Hayes closed the door. After a ground out to start the frame, she recorded another strikeout before allowing a two-out single. She quickly regrouped, finishing the game with a strikeout to seal the 4-0 victory.
Head Coach Brian Hayes praised the team’s performance across all areas of the game.
“Pitching and defense did well today and some timely hitting gave us an extra cushion late,” he said.
With strong pitching, disciplined defense and key hits at the right time, the Trojans turned a tight early game into a confident home win.
*Photos taken by Alina Veloz.
