SPRING JAMBOREE: Trojans win twice after confidence-boosting loss

Pahrump Valley’s only game Friday in the Spring Jamboree softball tournament was a 3-0 loss.

And it might have been the best thing to happen to the Trojans all year.

A day after falling to defending tournament champion Chaminade (Cailf.), the Trojans showed plenty of confidence Saturday, capping a two-win day with a 15-5, six-inning victory over Cheyenne in the Challenger Bracket final at Majestic Park.

“We gained a lot of confidence from that game,” said Pahrump coach Eli Armendariz. “We had a good defensive game against a really good team, and we really started to come around.”

The Trojans (6-11), who lost to Bell (Calif.) 10-4 and were routed by Coronado, 19-1 in their first two tournament games, opened some eyes with the narrow loss to Chaminade, which finished as the tournament runnerup.

They continued to show progress with a 12-0 win over Valley on Saturday morning, then stepped on the gas early to top the Desert Shields (5-9-1).

Katelyn Button’s two-out double started a four-run uprising in the top of the first inning, and the Trojans never surrendered the lead.

Button went 4-for-4 with a double and two RBIs to lead a 13-hit attack.

Whitney Roderick took care of the rest, allowing five hits and striking out 11.

“She finds her locations well, and her riseball was working,” Armendariz said.

Roderick also went 2-for-2 with a home run, a double and two RBIs, and Bryana Soliwoda and Melanie Lawdensky added two hits apiece for Pahrump, which opens Sunset League play on Tuesday against, of all teams, Cheyenne.

“We spent the last month trying to find the right combination of players,” Armendariz said. “This is when it counts now, and it helps to have that confidence.”

Vanessa Sanders was 1-for-2 with a triple and two RBIs for Cheyenne.

Pahrump Valley 12, Valley 0 — Roderick tossed a five-inning one-hitter and struck out 12 as the Trojans routed the Vikings.

Roderick and Madison Hurley each went 2-for-3, and Amanda Pryor was 2-for-4 for Pahrump.

Cheyenne 21, Bonanza 2 — Sanders was 3-for-4 with a double, four runs and five RBIs as the Desert Shields blitzed the Bengals in four innings.

Alyssa Fata was 3-for-4 with a double, and Courtney Gain went 3-for-4 for Cheyenne.

Bonanza 11, Valley 1 — Raquell Hoyes went 3-for-3 with two runs, and Megan Rabe was 3-for-3 with three RBIs to help the Bengals down the Vikings in six innings.

Veronica Martinez and Caitlyn Lloyd each went 2-for-4 with two RBIs for Bonanza, which scored four runs in each of the final two innings.

Kayla Gatti tossed a two-hitter for the Bengals.

Centennial 6, Port of Los Angeles 2 — Taylor Huntly was 2-for-2 with a home run, a double and three RBIs to help the Bulldogs beat the Bears in the Consolation Bracket final.

Savannah Horvath was 2-for-3 for Centennial.

Centennial 14, Fernley 2 — Huntly tossed a five-innning four-hitter and was 2-for-3 with a home run, a double and four RBIs as the Bulldogs topped the Vaqueros.

Horvath was 2-for-2 with a double and three RBIs, and Madison Henzlik was 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs for Centennial, which scored 10 runs in the third inning.

Mia Acuna was 2-for-4 with three runs and an RBI, and Bailie Nelson was 1-for-3 with a double and three RBIs for the Bulldogs.

Port of Los Angeles 3, Coronado 1 — Allison Bayer’s two-run double keyed a three-run third inning that lifted the Bears by the Cougars.

Kelsea Short was 2-for-4 for the Bears.

Basia Query went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI for Coronado.

Green Valley 10, Maranatha (Calif.) 6 — Maggie Manwarren went 5-for-5, and the Gators rallied from a 6-5 fourth-inning deficit to beat the Minutemen in the Bronze final.

Autumn Owens homered for the Gators.

Green Valley 14, Garfield (Calif.) 5 — Fenixx Henderson homered and doubled, and the Gators scored nine first-inning runs on their way to a six-inning win over the Bulldogs.

Manwarren was 3-for-3 and Jinger Meuir doubled twice for Green Valley, which got home runs from Sam Loving and Amber Calderon.

Palo Verde 12, Schurr (Calif.) 1 — Melissa Lacro tossed a five-inning five-hitter and went 4-for-4 with a double and three RBIs as the Panthers blitzed the Spartans.

Rachel Williams was 3-for-4 with a double and a triple, and Mackenzie McBride went 3-for-4 with a triple and two RBIs for Palo Verde.

San Benito (Calif.) 10, Rancho 1 — Elizabeth Burley went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run and three RBIs, and the Bakers scored four runs after having the bases empty with two outs in the first on their way to a six-inning win over the Rams.

Megan Sabbatini tossed a two-hitter for San Benito.

San Fernando (Calif.) 12, Durango 3 — Tianna Garcia and Alyssa Mena each homered to lead the Tigers by the Trailblazers in six innings.

Mallory Lawson was 2-for-2 for Durango.