Moapa Valley Pirates rally in eighth to win baseball crown

Jared Repp has been a key ingredient in the sudden rise of Moapa Valley's long-suffering baseball program.

So it seemed fitting when the sophomore catcher scored the winning run to give the Pirates their biggest victory in years Saturday.

Repp scored from third base on an error with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning to give Moapa Valley a 6-5 win over host Boulder City in the Class 3A Southern League tournament final.

Moapa Valley (10-19) won its first league tournament title since 2001, also the last year the Pirates advanced to the state playoffs. Moapa Valley clinched the South's lone bid to the 3A state tournament, which begins Thursday in Reno.

"It's just unreal," Pirates coach Justin Williams said. "To come out this year and we went 5-3 in league, we knew we were going to peak at the right time."

Moapa Valley's Shane Terril hit an RBI single through the left side to tie the game at 4 in the seventh.

Thomas Shelley's sacrifice fly to right plated Tanner Howell to put Boulder City (16-12) up 5-4 in the top of the eighth.

But Dillon Sullivan drew a leadoff walk in the bottom half and scored when Dylan Mortensen reached on an error by Boulder City's shortstop to tie the game at 5.

When Mortensen broke for second with one out, an errant throw from Boulder City's catcher to second went into center field, bringing home Repp.

Kasen Hughes, Terril, Repp and winning pitcher Mortensen each had two hits for Moapa Valley, which enters the state tournament on a six-game win streak.

Michael Hernandez went 2-for-4 with a double for Boulder City.

CLASS 2A BASEBALL

At Laughlin, The Meadows rebounded from a 16-2 loss to Needles (Calif.) in the first game to post a 12-10 win over Needles in the winner-take-all finale in the Class 2A Southern League tournament.

The Meadows (22-7) and Needles (21-7) advance to the state tournament, which begins Thursday at Pershing County High School.

Earlier Saturday, Needles finished off a 12-6 win over Laughlin in a game suspended Friday because of darkness.

CLASS 1A BASEBALL

At Sunrise Mountain, Jeffery Jones went 3-for-4, and Paden Higbee pitched a complete game as Pahranagat Valley (13-9) rolled to an 11-3 win over Round Mountain (12-9) in the Class 1A Southern Region title game.

Both advance to the state tournament, which begins Thursday at UNR.

CLASS 3A SOFTBALL

Karlee Koopman hit a three-run homer to break Boulder City's single-season RBIs record and pitched a five-inning complete game with seven strikeouts to lift the host Eagles to a 15-2 win over Virgin Valley in the Class 3A Southern League tournament final.

Boulder City (29-3) won its third straight league tournament and clinched the South's only bid to the 3A state tournament, which begins Thursday at Damonte Ranch High School in Reno.

Koopman belted a three-run homer to left field on the first pitch she saw as part of a four-run first inning. She finished 2-for-4 and drove in four runs, bringing her season RBI total to 68.

Boulder City scored six runs in the second inning, highlighted by Ali Rants' two-run single down the third-base line.

Alex Frye went 3-for-3 with a double and two RBIs for Boulder City, and Rants was 3-for-3 with two RBIs. Jeanette McQuillan added two hits for the Eagles.

Tania Avalos went 3-for-3, and Lexi Barnum was 2-for-2 with two RBIs for the Bulldogs (10-21).

CLASS 2A SOFTBALL

At Laughlin, K.C. McCrosky pitched a three-hitter while allowing no earned runs with eight strikeouts to lift Lincoln County (25-4) to a 7-1 win over Needles (18-10) in the 2A Southern League final.

Both teams advance to the state tournament, which begins Thursday at Pershing County High School.

CLASS 1A SOFTBALL

At Sunrise Mountain, Brandi Bryl pitched a pair of gems and drove in five runs to lead Indian Springs (22-1) to a pair of wins over Tonopah and the Class 1A Southern League tournament title. Indian Springs won the opener 18-1 and took the second game, 12-0.

Bryl fired a three-hitter with 10 strikeouts in the first game. She also went 3-for-5 with a triple and two RBIs. Kyli Lopez and Heather Thormahlen had two hits each for the Thunderbirds (22-1).

Indian Springs and Tonopah (8-10) advance to the state tournament, which begins Thursday in Reno.