Pahranagat Valley seeks to regain league tournament title

Last year, Indian Springs earned their first 1A Southern League tournament championship victory over the Pahranagat Valley High School (PVHS) Panthers, then moved on to capture their first state championship since 1973, topping PVHS in the championship finals.

The Panthers had been the league tournament winners the previous four years, as well as two-time state champions.

Last week, PVHS closed out the regular season with a non-league game at Lake Mead. The 1A Southern Division tournament then began Thursday this week in Indian Springs.

The game with the Eagles was not easy. It was a heavy-hitter affair, with the Panthers coming out on top 15-14 because of a four-run seventh inning rally.

Pahranagat hammered out 15 hits; Lake Mead had 20.

Trailing 13-11 in the top of the seventh inning, the Panthers scored four runs on two singles and two steals of home plate.

Jesse Jones went 5-for-5 with three RBIs to help Pahranagat outlast Lake Mead.

Stockton Maxwell was 4-for-5 with a double for Pahranagat. Bryan White went 3-for-3 with a double and Alan Underwood was 3-for-4 with an RBI for Lake Mead.

Lake Mead (7-10) had the tying run on second base with two out in the bottom of the seventh inning, but PVHS pitcher Preston Higbee struck out the final batter.

The four-team 1A Southern League tournament at Indian Springs began Thursday with first-round games matching PVHS (17-1) and Beatty (8-8) and Tonopah (15-4) against Indian Springs (13-6-1).

The tournament continues through Saturday with the championship on Saturday at 10 a.m. and the deciding game to follow, if necessary.

In the Northern tournament May 10-11 at Virginia City the pairings have Smith Valley (16-1) against Mineral County (15-11) and Wells (10-11-1) taking on Sierra Lutheran (5-6).

The 1A state tournament will be May 16-18 at Moapa Valley High School in Overton.

Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association ticket prices will apply for all tournament games.