The Pahrump Valley High School Trojans wrapped up their impressive baseball season with a hard-fought matchup against the Boulder City Eagles on Friday, May 9, in Boulder City. The game marked the Trojans’ second of the day, following an early afternoon victory over the Moapa Valley Pirates that kept their state tournament hopes alive. Despite their momentum and determination, the Trojans couldn’t overcome a fresh and well-prepared Boulder City squad, falling 9-2 in the final round of regional playoff competition.
Taking the field as the visiting team, the Trojans opened the top of the first inning against a tough Boulder City defense. Tony Whitney led off and grounded out to shortstop. Vinny Whitney connected for a single on a ground ball, but Aidyn Cratty’s sharp lineout to third turned into a double play, ending the half-inning. On defense, Cody Fried took the mound and got two quick outs with solid grounders to Cratty at short and Zurn at first. A walk and a fly ball error allowed the Eagles to plate the game’s first run before Fried shut down the inning with a pop out to right field.
Pahrump answered in the top of the second. After outs from Zurn and Nelson, Kayne Horibe got on base after being hit by a pitch. A fielding error on Ben Cimperman’s grounder moved Horibe to third, and courtesy runner Anthony Montanez stepped in for Cimperman. Logan Donnelly came up with a key RBI single to center, scoring Horibe and tying the game at 1-1. Fried grounded out to end the inning, but the Trojans had pulled even.
In the bottom of the second, a leadoff double and a string of singles loaded the bases for Boulder City. With Andrew Zurn taking over on the mound, the Trojans made a standout defensive play to end the threat—a flyout to right followed by a heads-up throw from Cody Fried to catcher Ben Cimperman secured a double play, keeping the game tied.
The Eagles, however, began to build their lead in the third inning. Taking advantage of two early errors and a series of timely hits, Boulder City scored five runs in the frame. Pahrump did manage one more run in the top of the fourth when Nelson reached on an error, stole second, and scored on Donnelly’s second RBI single of the game, bringing the score to 6-2. But that would be the final run for the Trojans.
Boulder City added two more runs in the bottom of the fourth and another in the fifth, stretching the lead to 9-2. The Trojans continued to battle, but a combination of sharp Eagles pitching and solid defense kept Pahrump from mounting a comeback.
Although the loss marked the end of their playoff journey, the Trojans showcased grit, heart, and teamwork throughout the season and regional tournament. Their back-to-back games in Boulder City demonstrated their endurance and competitive spirit, capping off a memorable season that saw strong performances from veterans and underclassmen alike.
*Photos are from an earlier playoff game.
