The Battle Mountain High School baseball team moved a step closer to the postseason with a three-game sweep of rival Pershing County.
The series started on Tuesday, April 17, in Lovelock, as Battle Mountain won the opener 13-1. The final two games were played on Saturday in Battle Mountain and the Longhorns won both games 16-1.
Battle Mountain improved to 15-4 overall and 12-3 in the Northern 2A. The Longhorns sit in second place in the league, as Yerington leads the league at 13-2. North Tahoe and West Wendover are tied for third at 9-6.
Longhorns take down Mustangs
In the series opener in Lovelock, Battle Mountain scored in each of the first four innings. The Longhorns jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning and did not trail. Pershing County scored its lone run of the day in the bottom of the first inning.
Battle Mountain tacked on a single run in the second inning and pushed the margin to 8-0 in the third inning. The Longhorns closed out their scoring with five runs in the fourth inning.
Quinton Defoor collected the win on the mound in a complete-game effort. He allowed one run on four hits. He struck out seven and walked none.
Battle Mountain pounded out 14 hits, with five players having two or more. Kade Quintana, Mason Fuller and Erik Martinez. Fuller and Martinez each had three RBI and Martinez had a home run. Gabe Naveran and Reese Artz had two hits apiece. Aldo Castellanos had one hit.
Battle Mountain sweeps Pershing County
The series moved to Battle Mountain on Saturday and Battle Mountain earned two 16-1 wins over Pershing County.
Fuller was dominant in game one against the Mustangs, allowing one run. The offense was in high gear as well and the Longhorns took advantage of a handful of Mustang errors.
In game two, Naveran gave up just two hits and one run in four innings of work. He struck out seven and walked none.
After allowing the opening run of the game in the top of the first inning, Battle Mountain cruised to the finish. The Longhorns plated five runs in the bottom of the first inning and led 9-1 after three innings of action.
Battle Mountain closed out the game in the fourth inning and ended the game on the 15-run mercy rule with seven runs.
Jordan Gonzalez went 4-for-4 for Battle Mountain with three RBI and two runs scored. Fuller and Defoor added three hits apiece and Defoor added three RBI and two runs scored.
Tom Baird and Naveran had two hits apiece and Jace Clark, Kris Hall and Reese Artz had one hit each.
Battle Mountain travels to North Tahoe this weekend, starting with a single game on Friday at 4 p.m. The two teams play a doubleheader on Saturday at 10 a.m.
