Fortune has not smiled too favorably lately on the defending state champion Pahranagat Valley girls softball team. Before getting into the league, the Panther girls have tested their young team against a series of Division 1-A and Division III schools.
Winning is not the only thing, valuable experience gained may be even better. However, PVHS did lose their sixth in a row with a 10-2 loss to powerful Lincoln County on a very windy day in Alamo on Tuesday.
Aspen Wilkin, the Lynx ace pitcher, tossed a three-hitter with eight strikeouts and two walks, to improve her season record to 8-6. Just last week, Lincoln had a 13-1 win in Panaca.
With the wind blowing in from the west as hard as it was, there seemed little likelihood of anyone getting a home run, and in fact, no one did.
Lincoln (15-6) scored at least once in every inning but two of the seven-inning non-league game.
Now the girls will get into league play, meeting a Division IV team for the first time this season when they travel to Beaver Dam today for a double header.
Like the Alamo boys, the Lady Panthers also have just two remaining home games this season, Tonopah April 21 and Indian Springs April 24. They have just one more non-league game, at Sunrise Mountain April 28.
Tonopah and Indian Springs are both expected to provide stiff competition for Pahranagat (4-6), who have been regional and state champions the past two years. The Thunderbirds go into this weekend 10-3 on the season, and Tonopah is 4-0.
Indian Springs won both the regional and state championships in 2011 and 2012, and Tonopah was regional champion in 2000 and 2001, and state runner-up in 2011 and 2012.
The Southern Division IV regional tournament will again be held in Alamo May 7-9, and state will be in Las Vegas at sites yet to be determined.
