Class 1A: Pahranagat Valley rallies for seventh straight title

Pahranagat Valley’s softball team found itself in a deep hole in the third inning Saturday.

The six-time defending Class 1A state champions trailed Smith Valley, 10-3.

And never so much as batted an eye.

The Panthers went to work, quickly erasing the deficit and rallying for an 18-14 win over the Bulldogs in the Class 1A state title game in Overton.

“I can honestly say that I knew we could put up runs,” said Pahranagat Valley coach Mike Sparrow. “I just told the girls that we couldn’t try to do too much. It was just one base runner at a time, just get the ball down, hit it hard.

“They were patient, and that helped.”

The Panthers (26-2) scored four runs in the third and six in the fourth to take the lead and never looked back.

Morgan Harris went 3-for-5 with two doubles and six RBIs from the leadoff spot.

“She struggled yesterday, maybe trying to do too much,” Sparrow said. “Her first at bat was like yesterday, and it was like ‘Uh oh.’ But she starting ripping the ball, and the bottom of our order really did well.”

Taylor Higbee was 2-for-4 with four runs and three RBIs, and Mariah Zander was 1-for-3 with a double and three RBIs for the Panthers, who added to their state record for consecutive crowns.

“Every year you go through your highs and lows,” Sparrow said. “These kids just kept working. We came into each practice with a plan, and they executed the plan so well that we would end up ending practices early. They just really worked hard.”

Cassidy Still was 1-for-5 with three RBIs for the Bulldogs (15-8).