DIVISION IV BASEBALL: Pahranagat Valley rolls past Wells

Pahranagat Valley baseball coach Brad Loveday felt his team a season ago was more than capable of winning a state title.

“I really thought we were the favorite to win,” he said.

After two heartbreaking losses in the state tournament, though, Loveday’s team got knocked out.

The fired-up Panthers bounced back in a huge way Saturday.

Christian Higbee threw a six-hitter with three strikeouts, and Pahranagat Valley scored six runs in the sixth inning en route to an 11-1, six-inning victory over Wells in the Division IV state final at Wooster High in Reno.

It was the Panthers’ first state championship since 2013.

“We had the best team last year,” said Loveday, in his 23rd season. “We just didn’t get any breaks. It was very disheartening. The year before we were so young, so we didn’t really expect to win it. … This year, we were just the dominant team in Division IV.”

The Panthers grabbed a 3-0 lead after three innings Saturday, which allowed Higbee to pitch comfortably with a lead. The junior ended up throwing 52 of his 68 pitches for strikes and walked only one batter.

“He kept them off balance,” Loveday said. “He’s not totally overpowering with his fastball. It’s a good fastball, but he was really hitting his spots with the curveball and just keeping it going with the fastball.”

Wells’ Joey Gardner hit an RBI double to score Enrique Aguilar in the top of the fifth inning to trim the deficit to 3-1. But it would be the Leopards’ only run.

“It was nice to get those early (three runs),” Loveday said. “They answered with one, but then we started chipping away after that and knocked their top two pitchers out.”

The Panthers (26-3) scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning and added six more in the sixth to end the game. Garrett Higbee’s hit to center field scored Tabor Maxwell and Christian Higbee.

Christian Higbee scored from second base on the play after Wells’ center fielder struggled to field the ball.

“(Wells coach) Steve (Rodriguez) is a good coach and they have a good program, so we knew they’d be coming at us,” Loveday said. “And they had their No. 1 pitcher. But this team just wears you down over time. They’re such good hitters and their defense is spectacular. I’m just so proud of them.”

Tabor Maxwell was 3-for-4 with two RBIs, and Garrett Higbee doubled and had four RBIs for the Panthers. Shawn Wadsworth was hit by a pitch twice and scored three runs, and Ike Taylor doubled and had an RBI for Pahranagat Valley.

Raul Naranjo doubled for Wells (19-14-1).