HORACE LANGFORD JR. / PVT Pahrump Valley won the Southern Nevada Class 3-A regional fast-pitch softball title Saturday, at Boulder City. HORACE LANGFORD JR. / PVT Christine Gamble, 22, above, slugged two big home runs and Ashleah Barney, below, pitched two complete-game victories as Advertisement

BOULDER CITY -- For the fifth time in seven years, Pahrump Valley is in the Nevada Class 3-A Fast-Pitch Softball state semifinals.

The Lady Trojans, 30-7, will battle the Dayton Dust Devils, 22-8, at noon Friday, in a first-round game on Bishop Manogue High School's new campus in south Reno. Pahrump Valley, with first-year coach Preston Dockter in charge, was 3-0 in the Southern regionals, played at Bravo Field here.

But it wasn't easy for the Lady Trojans, who won state championships in 2003, 2004 and 2005. They had to rally from a four-run deficit in the opener to edge Boulder City 9-8, getting a clutch, late-inning home run from senior first baseman Christine Gamble.

In the winners' bracket finals, the Trojans scratched out two runs early off Faith Lutheran ace Jessie Tracy and made them hold up for a 2-1 victory.

Saturday, Brittney Lindgren led off the game with a hit and Emily Poertner walked. Gamble, on a 3-and-2 fast ball up and in, lined a shot over the left-center field fence off Tracy. The PV girls went on to wrap up the regional championship with a 4-1 triumph.

Senior righthander Ashleah Barney was the winning pitcher in all three games. After working in relief in the opener, Barney hurled complete-game victories against the Crusaders. In six games against co-regular-season league champion Faith Lutheran, Pahrump Valley won four (12-5, 6-4, 2-1, 4-1).

Dayton's Dust Devils lost the opener of a best-of-three series with Winnemucca Lowry, 6-3, and so needed to win two straight from the Buckaroos to advance. They did, beating Lowry 4-2 and 4-1 Saturday on the Dust Devils' field.

In the other semifinal, defending state champion Fernley, 22-5, will battle Spring Creek, 22-13, at 2 p.m. Other Friday games are at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. The tournament concludes Saturday with the semifinals and championship rounds.

Breann DeHaven's single tied the second game at 2-2 in the fifth inning and the Dust Devils wrapped up the win on Brittany Burrows' two-run single.

Freshman pitcher MacKenzie Cole struck out five of the last six batters to win Game Two and in the showdown battle, she struck out 12 and allowed only one hit.

* Fernley ousted Yerington in two games, including a 14-1 rout in the finale. Kayla McCollum pitched a no-hitter through four innings before Yerington got its run on a homer.

Frances Estrada was 3-for-3, while Severena Johnson scored three runs and Jayme King had three RBI for the Vaqueros.

* Spring Creek advanced to the state tournament when Meg Harasymczuk slugged a walk-off homer in the 11th inning to lift the Spartans to a 7-6 win against Truckee, Calif., Saturday.

The Spartans are coached by former Beatty High School standout Holly Streeter.