The Pershing County Mustangs head back onto the field in the opening game of the 2023 NIAA baseball playoffs, hosted by Lovelock last weekend.
Photo by Peggy Jones.
Last weekend, Lovelock hosted the Northern 2A Regional Baseball Championships.
Pershing County made the cut for the first time in several years, a clear sign of the young team’s improvement.
They competed as the fourth seed, alongside West Wendover, Yerington and Battle Mountain.
"We had a great season and surprised a lot of teams," coach Jared Jensen said. "Almost making it to State is quite the accomplishment for these kids."
Last year, Pershing County finished last in the 2A. This year they finished fourth in the regular season and third at the regional.
Two years ago, the Mustangs won only one game. This year, they ended their regular season at 14-16 overall and 9-9 in the league.
Seniors Wyatt Diaz, Blake Burrows and Noel Zaldivar won more games than in their first three years combined. According to Jensen, they led the program and put the team on track.
In the semifinals, No. 1 seeded West Wendover slammed the Mustangs 15-0. They scored 12 runs in the second inning. Meanwhile, Yerington beat Battle Mountain 11-1.
That pitted Battle Mountain and Lovelock against each other in the loser's semifinal. "Trenton Rhodes pitched one heck of a game, shutting out Battle Mountain 10-0," Jensen said.
Next, Yerington defeated West Wendover 7-2 and West Wendover overcame Pershing County 8-3.
"We gave Wendover a heck of a game and made them earn their ticket to State. We were ahead 2-1 in the fourth inning, a couple of plays away from beating them. We proved to ourselves we can compete with the best in this conference," said Jensen.
The championship game came down to Yerington and West Wendover. Yerington walked off with the title 9-7.
"We're looking forward to the future of Mustang baseball. These kids battled so much adversity this season and came together every time. Every single one of them improved. Thank you to all who supported us," Jensen said.