The PCHS baseball team played three games this week. On Tuesday, May 4, they traveled to Battle Mountain and lost 9-1. It was Pershing County’s second loss of the season against the Longhorns.
On Saturday, the Mustangs hosted the Incline Highlanders. Pershing’s ballplayers lost both games (15-9, 5-16) but remain in good spirits as the season winds down.
Within weeks, seven Mustangs throw down their bats and graduate. The rest hope to return next year for a regular season of high school baseball, one of Lovelock’s most loved sports.
Rivals compete in Battle Mountain
On Tuesday, May 4, the Mustangs outhit the Longhorns 6-5. But Battle Mountain’s big fifth inning sealed the Longhorn win.
Jordan Gentry, Aaron Kienbaum, Raul Rincon, Blake Barter, Blake Burrows and Wyatt Diaz each collected a hit. The Mustangs struggled to contain Battle Mountain’s offense, giving up ten runs.
Barter recorded the loss for the Mustangs. He allowed two hits and seven runs over seven innings.
Timothy Fecht surrendered three runs on three hits over three and two-thirds innings. They each struck out four and walked zero.
For the seniors, it was the last match-up with their rival school. The Mustangs have won and lost against the Longhorns hundreds of times in various sports. Once again, Tuesday’s rivalry brought out the best in each baseball team.
Pershing County hosts Incline
Final scores don’t always reflect the closeness of the games. In the first match against Incline, the score tied up at eight at the top of the fifth inning. At their pinnacle, the Mustangs led 8-3.
In the second game, the Highlanders trailed 5-4 at the top of the fourth inning.
“Aaron Kienbaum has shown big strides in his batting game. Jordan Gentry played his best first base of the season,” said Coach Will Barter. Kienbaum and Wyatt Diaz led the offense with two hits each.
The Mustangs had big innings in both games. In the opener, they put up five runs in the fourth inning. Blake Barter, Wyatt Diaz, Jordan Gentry and Raul Rincon all knocked in runs for Pershing.
Tim Fecht took the loss for the Mustangs. He played six and two- thirds innings, striking out seven and walking one. Conner Fecht finished the game without giving up a run.
“We weren’t able to play clean enough to hold onto or build on our lead,” said Coach Barter.
In the closing game, Conner Fecht doubled in the third inning. The Mustangs scored four runs. Barter went 3-for-4 at the plate to lead the Mustangs in hits. Kienbaum also led offensively.
“It was nice to see Blake have a good offensive performance,” said the coach.
Barter recorded the loss. He allowed seven hits and 12 runs over 4.1 innings, striking out six.
“We have made improvements every week,” said Coach Barter. “This week was no exception. One thing we took away from this weekend was our ability to battle through adversity,” a life lesson if there ever was one.
Upcoming games
This Friday, Pershing County hosts West Wendover (7-1) at 1p.m. and 3 p.m.
The Wolverines beat the Mustangs (9-1) in their season-opener on Apr. 16.
Friday’s games will include a sendoff for the seniors, most of whom have played together since tetherball.
The seniors include Raul Rincon, Timothy Fecht, Blake Barter, Jordan Gentry, Logan Oberman, Jacob Thompson and Ethan Rhodes.
This Saturday’s doubleheader will be Pershing County’s last home game of 2021, which ends on Saturday, May 15, in Smith Valley. So far, the Bulldogs’ only loss of the year has been against Yerington. They dropped their series against the Lions 0-3.
