DON McDERMOTT / PVT Pahrump Valle's Iggy Wagner almost falls down, after putting down a squeeze bunt that eventually drove in two runs, in Post 40's 14-9 first-game American Legion baseball victory at Honeysuckle Park Monday. Palo Verde won the nightcap 5-3 in nine innings. DON McDERMOTT / PVT Lefthanded pitcher Dax Duesing of Post 40 throws to first baseman Tyrell Smith, in that first-game win; he picked off three runners in the game. Advertisement

As Ernie Banks, the Chicago Cubs' Hall of Fame shortstop, would plea during his illustrious Major League career, "Let's play two."

Alas, there can be only one American Legion baseball season each summer, so Pahrump Valley Post 40 fans will have to settle for what the Trojans accomplished in their rookie campaign in the Southern Nevada Silver Division.

Post 40 finished 11-13, after splitting a thriller of a twin bill against Las Vegas Palo Verde Monday night at Honeysuckle Park.

The Trojans rallied for a 14-9 victory in the first game, but lost 5-3 in nine innings in the nightcap that began at 8 p.m. and ended shortly before 11 p.m.

"It was a great experience for these boys; they learned so much and got better in every phase of the game as the season progressed," said John Bradley, the Post 40 manager.

"For us to achieve as much as we did as a Class 3-A team (in a division dominated by 4-A opponents) was unbelievable," said Bradley. In the Silver Division standings through Monday, the Trojans were ranked ninth with an 11-13 record, while Palo Verde was 10-13 and was 10th.

Arbor View won the division title with 22 victories in 23 games, as the Aggies accumulated 66 of a possible 69 points. Del Sol, 18-4, had 54 points to finish second. Rancho was 17-5, with 51 points and was third. Fourth at 17-6 and 51 points was Calvary Chapel.

Those four teams are competing in the Silver Division playoffs, which run through Saturday at Koerwitz Field on the Faith Lutheran High School campus.

Completing the standings: Liberty 13-9, 39 points; Eldorado 13-9, 39; Sierra Vista, 13-10, 39; Henderson Foothill 12-10, 36; Shadow Ridge 8-14, 24; Henderson Green Valley 8-14, 24; Cimarron-Memorial 7-14, 21; Henderson Basic 7-14, 21; Western, 2-19, 6, and Cheyenne 0-23, 0.

The Trojans defeated Western 19-0 and 7-2 in a twin bill played Saturday at Rivera Park, with pitchers Corey Veloz and Danny Cazier picking up the wins.

In the first-game win against Palo Verde, pitching and defense played critical roles, as did an offense that generated 13 hits, including a 4-for-5 performance by outfielder Richard Torres, who drove in four runs.

First baseman Tyrell Smith was 3-for-4 with three RBI. Outfielder Iggy Wagner was 2-for-4, with his squeeze bunt leading to two runs in the Trojans' five-run sixth-inning rally that snapped an 8-8 tie.

Designated hitter A.J. Craighhead was 2-for-3 with a pair of RBIs, while shortstop John McHugh was 2-for-4.

The pitching? Lefthander Dax Duesing made only one really bad pitch. With the bases loaded in the fifth inning, his 2-0 fastball was slugged over the left-field fence for a grand slam by Jake Capurro to tie the score at 8-8. Palo Verde had scored four first-inning runs in a rally aided by an error on Capurro's grounder.

The defense?

Go back to the first inning. On a double by Brandon Lauven, two runs scored, but Lauven was thrown out at third, from center fielder Wagner to McHugh to Cody Nielson.

Duesing picked off three runners, as the Panthers could not get a read on his move; as a result, Palo Verde was reluctant to take big leads off any base.

Wagner came up with the defensive play of the game, if not the season, when he dived to snare a sinking line drive in right-center field in the sixth inning, ending a Panther threat that had already produced one run.

Palo Verde relief pitcher Joey Huber was struck by a line drive in the seventh inning; while he was able to leave the game under his own power, there were no substitutes remaining on the Panther bench, forcing the game to be called.

In the nightcap, Trojans lefthander Tyrell Smith and 6-foot-4 righthander Mark Ludwig of Palo Verde hooked up in a pitchers' duel that went into extra innings tied 3-3.

In the ninth and with righthander Jacob Rusk working in relief of Smith, the Panthers got the victory when Capurro reached on a one-out infield hit before Drew Ludwig slugged a homer. Relief pitcher C.J. Miezella retired the Trojans 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning to end the almost three-hour marathon.

Alex Bietar homered in the fourth inning for the Trojans, who scored two runs in the fifth, one on an error, the second on Torres' sacrifice bunt. Palo Verde runs were batted in by Lauven in the second, Alex Bonczak in the fifth and Brandon Renteria, when he walked with the bases loaded in the sixth.

Smith worked eight innings, allowing 10 hits and three earned runs, as he walked six and struck out 10. Reaching 90 pitches at the end of eight innings led Bradley to replace Smith.

"We're not going to jeopardize the career of a pitcher," said Bradley.

NOTES -- Las Vegas Sierra Vista (26-2, 78 points) leads the Gold Division ... The top four teams include Durango, 25-3, 75; Bishop Gorman, 21-7, 63, and Green Valley, 20-8, 60 ... The only non-Class 4-A teams entered in all divisions this summer were 3-A Pahrump Valley and Faith Lutheran and 1-A Calvary Chapel ... Faith Lutheran's Gold team was 3-24 and ranked last among the 15 teams in that division; the Junior Crusaders were 9-11 and were 15th in that division.

In the Junior Division, the top four teams were Bishop Gorman, 21-0, 63 points; Centennial, 18-3, 54; Durango, 15-6, 45, and Shadow Ridge, 14-6, 42 ... Legacy, a northwest Las Vegas High School which will be opening for the first time this fall, was 14-6 in its inaugural season ... Sierra Vista's three teams were a combined 39-31, including a 0-19 record by its Junior Division squad ... Bishop Gorman went 42-7 (Gold, Junior), Durango 40-9 (Gold, Junior), Green Valley 36-35 (Gold, Silver), Silverado 26-21 (Gold, Junior), and Coronado 25-24 (Gold, Junior) ... Palo Verde was 14-14 in the Gold Division and 14-7 in the Juniors, giving the Panthers' summer program an overall mark of 38-34.