Spring Valley teammates deliver for Sunset Region in all-star baseball game

Nick Rupp and Jaxson Otis played four years of varsity baseball together at Spring Valley High.

In their final game together on Thursday, the two went out on top.

Rupp and Otis combined to go 4-for-7 with two runs and two RBIs to power the Sunset Region to a 12-8 victory over the Sunrise Region in the Class 4A all-star baseball game at the College of Southern Nevada.

“Last four years (together) have been fun,” said Rupp, a College of Southern Nevada commit. “We both watched each other grow up, and grow as baseball players. So it was pretty awesome to play my last game with him.”

Otis went 2-for-3 with a stolen base, a run and an RBI. He also pitched a scoreless seventh inning, striking out two batters, to represent the Grizzlies.

“I was kind of sad putting on Spring Valley’s uniform for the last time today,” said Otis, who has committed to Salt Lake Community College. “But it was great getting out here. A lot of baseball ahead.”

Rupp was 2-for-3, including a triple. He also scored once and knocked in the go-ahead run.

Rupp’s single in the top of the sixth inning broke a 7-7 tie and scored Centennial’s Jake Rogers. The Sunset added another run in the inning to take a 9-7 lead — one that wouldn’t be relinquished.

“It was a fun, relaxed atmosphere,” Rupp said. “We were livin’ up our last game as seniors. … It was definitely competitive. We wanted to win.”

Rogers went 2-for-3 with a triple, two runs and an RBI for the Sunset, which also got triple apiece from Tanner Wright (Centennial) and Richard Mascarenas (Durango).

“Playing with these all-stars was amazing,” said Rogers, who also was the winning pitcher. “We had such a stacked team. … I feel like (the Sunset) was a stronger side of town. Overall, top to bottom, we had a stronger side.”

Basic’s Jack Wold, a UNLV commit, hit a solo home run to right-center field, and Garett Lake (Coronado) and Miguel Elicerio (Rancho) each doubled for the Sunrise.

In the Class 3A game, Boulder City’s Jacob Hubel hit a three-run home run, and the Sunrise Region rallied with eight runs in the top of the sixth inning to pull away for a 13-8 win over the Sunset Region.

Rhett Armstrong of Boulder City hit an inside-the-park homer to right-center field for the Sunrise’s first run of the sixth inning. Cade Anderson of Virgin Valley also had a three-run triple in the sixth for the Sunrise, which trailed 8-5 after five innings.

Mojave’s Elijah Glaze, who went 3-for-3, finished a home run shy of the cycle for the Sunset.

Pahrump Valley’s Drew Walker and Mojave’s Andrew Foley each hit a triple, and Parker Hart of Pahrump Valley hit a double. Starting pitcher Garrett Lucas of Pahrump Valley struck out four over two innings for the Sunset.

Notes

— Before the 4A game, two former coaches were named to the Southern Nevada Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

Nate Selby, who coached at Sierra Vista from 2002 to 2014, and Richard Stevens, a Clark County School District coach for 28 years, were announced over the public-address system.

Selby went 327-119 with the Mountain Lions and won the 2005 Class 4A state title.

Stevens coached at Western, Eldorado and Centennial. He was an assistant under current Bulldogs coach Charlie Cerrone from 2002 to 2013.

Contact reporter Ashton Ferguson at aferguson@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0430. Follow @af_ferguson on Twitter.