The Virgin Valley High School baseball team overcame insurmountable odds this past weekend to place second at the 3A Southern Regional in Boulder City on Saturday, May 9. The Dawgs came into the tournament as the fourth seed, which matched them with the top seed, Boulder City Eagles, on Thursday afternoon, May 7.

The Dawgs scored first on a two-run homer by Degan Shaner in the first inning. The Eagles bounced back with four runs in the bottom of the first to lead 4-2. Boulder added two more runs in the third inning to lead the game 6-2. The Dawgs managed one run in the top of the fourth to cut the Eagles’ lead to 6-3. The Eagles attempted to put the game out of reach, scoring five runs in the bottom of the fourth to take an 11-3 lead at the end of four innings. The Bulldogs took advantage of fielding and pitching errors to cut the Eagles’ lead to 11-6. The Dawgs would add one more run in the sixth inning, but the host Eagles added four more runs of their own, making the final score 15-7, dropping the Dawgs to the tournament losers’ bracket. Shaner and Koby Perry led the Dawgs with two hits. Justin Goodsell had a home run in the sixth inning.

The Dawgs faced Pahrump Valley on Friday morning, after the Trojans lost to The Meadows Mustangs. The Dawgs got on the scoreboard first, with two runs in the top of the third inning. The Trojans tied the game at two in the bottom of the sixth inning. Each team managed to score one more run, sending the game into extra innings. Pitching dominated the extra innings until the Dawgs’ Brad Perkins singled in the 12th inning, followed by a double by Shaner, giving the Dawgs a 4-3 advantage going into the bottom of the inning. Shaner pitched 4.2 shutout innings to get the win. The win moved the Dawgs into an afternoon matchup with The Meadows, who also lost to the Eagles.

The Bulldogs fell behind The Meadows 4-0 after one inning of play. The Dawgs scored two runs in the top of the second, cutting the Mustangs’ lead to 4-2. The Dawgs took the lead in the top of the third inning with a three-run homer by shortstop Koby Perry, making the score 8-4. Not to be denied, the Mustangs scored four runs of their own to tie the game at eight after three innings of play. Shaner came into the game in relief to shut down the Mustangs’ rally.

The Meadows took back the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning with two runs, making the score 10-8 in their favor. But the Dawgs’ miracle run was not over yet, as Brad Perkins reached base on an error. Tray Hughes doubled to right field, moving Perkins to third base and setting up Justin Goodsell for a three-run blast that made the score 11-10. Bulldog Parker Litzenberger pitched the sixth and seventh innings, saving the Dawgs’ win, 11-10. Goodsell and Koby Perry led the Dawgs with three hits each. Goodsell had four RBIs and Perry added three of his own. The win eliminated the Mustangs and moved the Bulldogs to the championship against the host on Saturday, May 9.

As Boulder City came into Saturday’s games undefeated, the Dawgs would have to win two games to win the Southern 3A Regional Championship, and the first seed from the south at the Nevada State Tournament. The teams were tied 3-3 going into the fifth inning. The Dawgs took the lead 4-3 in the top of the fifth in a pitchers’ duel before each team’s hitters woke up. They added four more runs in the top of the sixth inning on singles by Perkins, Litzenberger, Goodsell and Uriah Pereida, giving the Dawgs an 8-3 advantage going into the bottom of the sixth. The Eagles showed their championship mettle, scoring six runs to take a 9-8 lead into the seventh and final inning.

The Dawgs were not done, as they struck for nine runs in the top of the seventh. Singles by Krew Perry, Perkins and Hughes loaded the bases. Litzenberg singled in a run to tie the game, 9-9. Goodsell singled, driving in another run. Pereida walked, scoring the 11th run. Koby Perry singled the 13th run, and Krew Perry got his second single of the inning, making the score 14-9. Perkins then doubled, scoring the 15th run. Malachi Jordan finished the inning onslaught, doubling to right field and scoring the final two runs of the inning, making the score 17-9 in favor of the Bulldogs. Defense and pitching ended the game, 17-9. The Dawgs had 19 hits in the game. Krew Perry went for four hits, followed by Koby Perry, Perkins and Hughes with three hits each. 

Boulder City came out swinging in the second championship game, scoring 16 runs in six innings to take a 16-2 lead going into the bottom of the sixth and final inning. The Bulldogs struck three straight singles to load the bases. Poor Eagle pitching accounted for most of the runs, making the final score 16-6. The win gave the Eagles the 3A South Championship, while the Dawgs’ unbelievable run secured the team a second seed at State. The Dawgs will face 3A North Champion Elko (28-6, 25-1) at 1 p.m. on Thursday, May 14, at Spanish Springs High School.