The Moapa Valley High School baseball team had to put up with some extreme heat in the final four games of its pre-league season at Cimarron-Memorial High School. They beat Cimarron-Memorial on Monday, March 16, and Smoky Hill (Colo.) on Tuesday, March 17.

The Pirates that stuck around through spring break got out of playing an inning in Las Vegas by scoring in all of the first six innings against the Spartans in Las Vegas, Monday. They scored multiple runs in all but one inning.

Toby Wood led the shorthanded Pirates, going 3-for-4 with a run scored. He also got four outs on the mound, allowing no hits and one walk while striking out two. Jayden Staley struck out eight over 4.2 innings pitched, allowing two hits, four walks and three earned runs.

Jake Hadley drove in three runs with two hits in three at-bats. Christopher Kohntopp was 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored, and Lane Briggs was also 2-for-3 with a double. He drove in two runs and scored twice. Weston Ruiz went 2-for-4 with a run scored and two RBIs.

At home on Tuesday, the Pirates played all seven against the Smoky Hill Buffaloes, winning 6-2. Ruiz was 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored. Landon Briggs also drove in two runs with a double. Wood was 2-for-3 with an RBI.

Hadley drove in a run with a hit in two at-bats and was effective on the mound, allowing just two unearned runs on eight hits over seven innings, striking out seven.

Later that day, the Pahrump Valley Trojans (7-5) sent the Pirates back to the hotel early with a 14-4 victory. They got to every pitcher Moapa Valley threw at them, with Will Hughes pitching the bulk of the game, going three innings and allowing three earned runs on five hits and two walks.

Kohntopp was 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs. Thatcher Leavitt drove in a run with a double, and Ruiz laced a double and scored a run.

The Pirates were no-hit by Sierra Vista senior Nathan Mayorga on Wednesday, March 18. Mayorga was perfect over seven innings, allowing no walks while striking out seven.

Just six of the Mountain Lions’ nine runs were earned, as Kohntopp pitched five innings, allowing 12 hits and one walk while striking out four. Cooper Comeau pitched a perfect inning in relief.

“We played pretty well. Had a few injuries and a few players missing on spring break, so we ran out of gas in the end,” said MVHS head coach Justin Williams. “We’re growing and learning a ton and are ready to start our league games this week.”

Moapa Valley (5-6) starts its league season at home against Boulder City (5-7) on Wednesday, March 25, at 3:30 p.m. The Pirates then travel to Boulder City on Friday, with first pitch once again scheduled for 3:30 p.m. On Monday, March 30, the Pirates play at Virgin Valley (7-2) at 3:30 p.m.