BOULDER CITY -- Consider:

* Pahrump Valley, with some clutch pitching by Mike Gonzalez and hitting by Justin Kelley, defeated regular-season champion Las Vegas Faith Lutheran 8-6 in the first round of the Southern Nevada Class 3-A regional baseball tournament Thursday. Friday, the Crusaders were bounced 8-4 by Boulder City, denying them a shot at a fifth state tournament title in six years.

Consider this as well:

* The Trojans trailed Mesquite Virgin Valley 7-1 in the winners' bracket finals of the Southern Nevada Class 3-A regional baseball tournament Friday afternoon. The Trojans battled back to tie it at 7-7 in the sixth, but the Bulldogs scored three runs, two unearned, and claimed a 10-7 victory.

* Facing elimination in a consolation final against homestanding Boulder City, the Trojans rallied from a 4-0 deficit to force a 4-4 tie. A brutal call by an umpire extended a sixth-inning rally for the Eagles, who pushed across the winning run on a suicide squeeze bunt that produced a 5-4 victory and a berth in the regional finals against Virgin Valley. The Bulldogs won 12-8 Saturday, and will compete in the state tournament at Carson City Friday.

"The boys had to battle through so much this spring and to lose the way they did was difficult," said Rich Lauver, who was the interim coach over the last month of the season after replacing Doug Marion. Lauver didn't get to see the end of the game; after that controversial call, the umpire ejected the coach. "All I wanted him to do was to talk to me ... he wouldn't," said Lauver.

"A hit there ... a hit here ... and we win five, six more games this season," said Lauver; the Trojans started 14-6, but finished 18-17. "But this league was so even, a hit here or there for an opponent could have beaten us."

The Trojans were led this spring by:

* Iggy Wagner, whose speed and defensive prowess in center field shut down many rallies and whose base running produced 43 stolen bases, shattering Lauver's school record of 41.

* Ethan Wald, who was the best defensive catcher in the league, and was able to come up with numerous timely hits to spark the offense.

* Daniel Miller, who played a solid third base and also kept the offense active.

* Mike Gonzalez, a junior who showed great promise as a baseball player, as both a hitter and righthanded pitcher.

Other key players this spring: freshman pitcher Sam Morrow, senior outfielder-pitcher Brandon Uyeno, senior shortstop Cody Nielsen, and junior pitcher Danny Cazier, who was the workhorse in the early season.

Preparations are underway to form both a Silver Division American Legion team, as well as a Senior Little League Division squad. Their seasons will begin later this month.