DON McDERMOTT / PVT Christine Gamble, on first base with a hit, peeks around Spring Creek first baseman Sam Rynearson, had two hits in the state tournament for Pahrump Valley, which lost 3-1 to the Spartans and 2-0 to Dayton Friday. Advertisement

RENO -- Terrific pitching by senior righthanders Tori Thomas and Ashleah Barney was wasted in the Nevada Class 3-A State Fast-Pitch Softball tournament, as Trojan hitters struggled and the defense lost focus in critical situations.

In 2-0 and 3-1 losses Friday to Dayton and Spring Creek, respectively, Thomas and Barney pitched a total of 14 innings, surrendering five runs, two earned, on four hits. Thomas pitched a three-hitter against Dayton, while Barney gave up an infield single in the seventh inning in the loss to the Spartans. Combined, the Dust Devils and Spartans were 4-for-47 (a miniscule .085), with four walks and 10 strikeouts.

Under ordinary circumstances -- like being aggressive at the plate -- Pahrump Valley would have won both games, played in hot and windy weather on Bishop Manogue High School's spectacular new Reno campus off S. Virginia St.

However:

* In the two games, the Trojans were 6-for-41 (a meager .146) with 24 strikeouts, including 10 in called third strikes. MacKenzie Cole, a freshman righthander who facially reminds veteran softball fans of Team USA's standout pitcher Cat Osterman -- and has a nasty 60-mile-per hour fast ball to make that resemblence more apparent -- struck out 17 for Dayton.

Cole allowed one hit, a fourth inning single by Christine Gamble, walked two and hit a batter.

The Dayton offense had back-to-back RBI hits with two outs in the fifth inning; otherwise, the Dust Devils did little to threaten.

In the nightcap, Spring Creek -- coached by former Beatty High School standout athlete Holly Streeter -- could do nothing against Barney, who retired the Spartans in order in four of the first five innings.

In the sixth, however, Spring Creek used two walks and four errors (three on consecutive plays) to score three unearned runs and take a 3-0 lead.

Pahrump Valley's offense was facing another freshman pitcher, Jordan Garcia. In a 4-3 loss to Fernley in the tournament opener, Garcia yielded four hits and two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to take the loss.

Garcia, however, got out of jams in almost every inning. The Trojans stranded eight runners, including the bases loaded in the sixth inning, when they scored their only run -- forced in by a bases-loaded walk to Liberty Rodriguez.

Pahrump Valley had five hits, including two by Emily Poertner and Becca Gamble and one by Christine Gamble, who singled in the seventh and was left stranded.

Under the direction of first-year coach Preston Dockter, Pahrump Valley finished the season 30-9, including a 17-2 run against Southern Nevada League opponents.

The last time the Trojans lost two first-day state tournament games was in 2002 at Mesquite. The 2003, 2004 and 2005 teams were a combined 9-1 as the Trojans grabbed back-to-back-to-back state championships. The 2007 squad was 1-2, including a loss to eventual champion Fernley. Saturday, the Vaqueros were facing elimination, but they ran off three straight wins to repeat as champions.

Pahrump Valley had eight seniors play their final games Friday, including Thomas, Barney, Poertner, Stephanie Wallace, Brittney Lindgren, Christina Rodriguez, Chelsea Cochrell and Christine Gamble. They were freshmen in the program when the Trojans, then coached by Rich Lauver, won the last of their three straight state championships.

Now, the girls who return in spring 2009 will be on the first PVHS softball team to compete in the Class 4-A Sunset Region Southwest Division. The 4-A Final Four this spring included Sparks Spanish Springs, which repeated as champion; Henderson Foothill, out of the Sunrise Region Southeast Division; Sparks Reed and Las Vegas Shadow Ridge, from the Northeast Division.

Durango, a Southwest Division team, advanced to the regional finals before bowing 7-2 to Shadow Ridge. Other Southwest teams competing in the playoffs were Clark (the regular-season division winner), Sierra Vista and Spring Valley.