By Dave Belcher

Moapa Valley Progress

Kade Bryant fields the ball at a home game against the Virgin Valley High School Bulldogs on Friday, May 4. Photo by Mesa Owens.

A Moapa/Virgin Valley contest without emotion is like the bogie man; it just doesn’t exist. This was evidenced at the baseball game on Friday night. Virgin Valley coming into the game with only one win on the season and nothing to lose came to the home of the Pirates battling tooth and nail.

But it was the end of the second game that had the Virgin Valley fans up in arms. They watched as their team was forced to forfeit the game when it was tied 10-10.

Lawrence Villezcas was at third base when the Pirates tried to lay down a squeeze. Kasen Hughes missed the sign and failed to make a bunt attempt as Villezcas started for home. The Virgin Valley catcher was waiting with the ball in glove blocking the plate when Villezcas got there. Villezcas tried to go through the catcher. The catcher threw his shoulder and glove into Villezcas. Villezcas then pushed the catcher starting a scuffle which ended with Villezcas and the catcher being thrown out of the game.

Lane Stringham watches as the ball he just hit flies out of the park at a game against Virgin Valley on Friday. Photo by Mesa Owens.

The catcher had maintained control of the ball and Villezcas was called out. Two more Virgin Valley players and a coach were tossed when they argued with the umpire feeling Villezcas should be the only one tossed for his retaliation in pushing the catcher.

When the dust cleared the ruling on the field stood and Virgin Valley was left with the three player ejections and 8 players left to play the game. Since they needed a full nine man team to play and the Dawgs no longer had that many, the umpire called a forfeit which ended the game with a controversial 11-10 Moapa win.

Repp scored somewhere during the melee after advancing to 3rd then home for Moapa’s 11th and game-winning run.

Virgin Valley then realized they would have to sit the three players for next week’s first game of the Regional tournament against the Pirates. The ejected players and coach will have to sit out the next game, by rule. Therefore they told Moapa coach Williams and the Moapa administration they would not field a team next week for the tournament.

“It’s too bad the game had to end that way,” said a frustrated Williams. “I texted their coach and apologized and he did the same for the way the game ended. They don’t feel they can field a competitive team next week with the ejections. We are hoping that after the weekend they will rethink their decision and field a team.”

At the start of the 7th inning Virgin Valley was up 10-9. Cam Stratton grounded out to 2nd base. Landon Willard then was walked by the pitcher Nolan Tanner. Villezcas singled to left field moving Willard to 2nd base with one out. Jake Repp reached on a throwing error and Willard scored from second to tie the score at 10’s. Villezcas and Repp moved up to 3rd and 2nd on the play. That set up the final sequence of the game.

Moapa started the game with 2 runs in the 1st and 2 more in the 2nd. By the 5th inning it was 8-5 with a homer by Lane Stringham and one by Dillon Sullivan in his first league at bat on the season for Moapa. Virgin Valley came back and took the lead 10-8 by scoring 5 runs in the top of the 5th.

Moapa came apart in this inning with 2 pass balls, a wild pitch, two walks, 5 errors by Shane Terrill, four in a row, and three Bulldog hits. Virgin Valley finishes the season at 1-25 while the Pirates are 7-19 winning the last 4 of 5 games.

In the first game of the double header the Pirates won 15-5 over the dogs.

Josh Repp was 2-3 with 3 RBI’s. Moapa scored 5 runs in the 2nd and 4th innings, 1 in the 3rd and 4 in the bottom of the 6th to end the game on the mercy 10 run rule 15-5. Virgin Valley scored 2 in the 3rd and 3 in the 5th.

Moapa started the week with a 4-1 victory at home over Sunrise Mountain. In this game each team had a total of three hits apiece.

Repp started the game reaching base on an error by the short stop and advancing to second on a balk by the pitcher. Kasen Hughes was hit by a pitch and Repp scored on Terrill’s ground ball out to the short stop for a 1 -0 lead. In the 3rd, Hughes was hit again to start the inning then he stole second and advanced to third on a pass ball. Terrill grounded out to the 2nd baseman and Hughes scored again for a 2-0 lead.

Sunrise Mountain scored in the 4th when Espino reached 1st through an error by Jake Repp and advanced to second by a passed ball. He then advanced on a balk and scored when Corrall flied out to right field.

Moapa scored 2 more in the 6th when Willard singled to the short stop and was replaced by Sullivan as a courtesy runner. He stole second then Stratton walked. Villezcas walked loading the bases for Jacob Repp who also walked scoring Sullivan. Jake Repp hit a sacrifice fly to center as the Pirates scored another for the final of 4-1.

One Response to “Pirates Benefit From VVHS Forced Forfeit”