The Pahrump Valley High School Trojans baseball team brought the heat on Tuesday, April 22, traveling to Chaparral High School and walking away with an overwhelming 16-1 win over the Cowboys.
The Trojans wasted no time getting on the board. Tony Whitney opened the game with a walk and showcased his speed by stealing second and third. He crossed home plate on a balk, setting the tone early. An error by the Cowboys allowed Aidyn Cratty to score shortly after, giving Pahrump a 2-0 lead after the first half inning. Vinny Whitney took the mound and led the defense in a clean three-up, three-down bottom of the inning.
Despite getting runners on base in the second inning, Pahrump couldn’t capitalize and left two stranded. However, the defense remained sharp, quickly turning a double play and shutting down Chaparral’s attempt to rally.
In the top of the third, the Trojans blew the game wide open with an offensive outburst that saw them send 14 batters to the plate. After a fly out to center, Cratty reached on a hit-by-pitch and wasted no time stealing second. A wild pitch moved him to third, and another wild play—an errant pickoff attempt—brought him home. Chris Nelson, who had walked, followed him in on the same error.
Kayne Horibe walked and moved around the bases on back-to-back wild pitches, eventually scoring on a groundout by Ben Cimperman. With two outs, Jack Walker drilled a double to center field. Logan Donnelly was then hit by a pitch, and Tony Whitney delivered with an RBI single to right field, scoring Walker. Donnelly moved to third and scored on a catching error during a stolen base attempt by Whitney, who advanced to third.
TC Hone came in as a courtesy runner and stole second. On a line-drive single to left field by Andrew Zurn, Hone scored, and Zurn moved to second on the throw. Cratty was intentionally walked, and Chris Nelson followed with a fly ball single to left that brought in Zurn and moved Cratty to third.
Then came the biggest swing of the day—Kayne Horibe smashed a home run to left field, a three-run shot that cleared the bases and capped a seven-run rally. Ben Cimperman added a single before the inning came to a close with a strikeout, leaving the scoreboard heavily tilted at 13-0.
The Cowboys were silenced once again in the bottom of the third, with Horibe making plays in center field to keep the bases clear.
In the fourth, Pahrump tacked on three more runs. TC Hone and Dominic Chiancone both took advantage of fielding errors and passed balls, while Aaron Rily, Montanez, and Horibe continued the offensive pressure. Horibe’s double capped off the scoring drive before the Cowboys finally managed a run of their own in the bottom of the inning.
Chaparral’s lone run came off an error and a fielder’s choice, but it was too little, too late. A fly out to right field ended the game, sealing a dominant 16-1 victory for the Trojans.
Pahrump’s mix of aggressive base running, disciplined batting, and flawless defense proved too much for the Cowboys, as the team continues to show its strength late in the season.
*Images are from a game earlier this season.
