Pirates Spend Spring Break In Tournament Play

By DAVE BELCHER

Moapa Valley Progress

The Pirates travelled last week to play at various high schools in the Durango Baseball Tournament. The Pirates’ opponent in the tournament were from California and from much larger schools.

On Monday, March 26, at Sierra Vista High School the Pirates faced the San Fernando Tigers. Coby Longman started on the mound allowing a run in the first and second innings. Another run in the fifth gave San Fernando a 3-0 lead.

Moapa Valley would get five hits in the game but couldn’t get the hits to provide runs.
San Fernando strung together four hits and were given eight bases due to walks. Moapa Valley and San Fernando each had two errors during the game.

San Fernando would score the final two runs in the top of the seventh inning for a 5-0 win.
Longman pitched six and two-third innings for the loss. He struck out five hitters while his counterpart from San Fernando struck out six Pirate batters, while walking just three.

Moapa Valley travelled across town to Centennial High School and played Garfield High School. Chase Hadley pitched a one hitter in this one for an 8-0 win. Hadley had eight strike outs, walking just three and allowing only one hit.

Luke Bennet hit a double, scoring an RBI. He crossed the plate four times for four Pirate runs in two official at bats.
Hadley went two for three from the plate with an RBI and a run scored.
Longman had a hit scoring two RBI’s. Chase Guessman was two for two with a run scored and an RBI. Daxton Longman was two for four scoring a run.

On Tuesday, Mar. 27, the Pirates played San Pedro and scored a run in the first inning.
However, San Pedro came up in the bottom of the first and scored four runs for a 4-1 lead.
Moapa Valley scored a run in the third and three runs in the top of the sixth taking a 5-4 lead.

But in the bottom of the sixth San Pedro scored four more runs to regain the lead at 8-5 and added four more in the bottom of the seventh after the Pirates scored a run in the top of the seventh. The final was 12-6, San Pedro.

Moapa Valley was lead by Longman who hit a double and drove in three runs. Hunter Wrzesinski got a hit driving in a run. Hadley had a hit with an RBI.
San Pedro finished with 13 hits.

In the second game from Tuesday, the Pirates played Rim of the World from California. The Pirates won the game 5-4 with a three run fifth inning. They held the Fighting Scots scoreless in the final two innings to secure the win.

Moapa Valley took advantage of five Fighting Scots errors. Chase Hadley was two for three with an RBI. Luke Bennett was one for three with a RBI. Longman had an RBI and Wrzesinski was two for three with a double.

Wednesday the Pirates finished the tournament with a single game. It was a tough loss to Banning, California.
Banning started the game with a four run first inning. They scored a single run in the second, three runs in the fourth and single runs in the fifth and seventh innings.

Moapa Valley scored its only runs with one in both the first and second innings. Banning won 10-2.
Daxton Longman pitched one third of an inning giving up three earned runs. Kashton Frei pitched three and two-third innings allowing four earned runs.

Gannon Hymas finished with two hits in two at-bats while Coby Longman was two for three with a triple and an RBI.
Banning finished with eleven hits while the Pirates finished with six hits and two errors.
The Pirates finished a tough tournament with a 2-3 record carrying a 9-5 overall record.

The Pirates will host Desert Pines on Thursday before starting the league season with a trip to Boulder City.
This is a game that has been circled on the Pirates schedule since former Head Coach Ed McCann took the coaching job at Boulder City last summer. Boulder City is the two-time defending champion. Go Pirates!