Fallon baseball, softball teams take on Mount Rose foes in crossover

The Fallon baseball and softball teams had a rough outing last weekend, at least on the surface.

The baseball team went 1-4 at the Mike Bearman Tournament, while the softball team finished the 1-4 at the Sacramento Victory Tournament.

Both clubs, however, have a chance to right the ship starting today in the Mount Rose crossover. Fallon will take on Northern Division I-A foes South Tahoe, Truckee and Sparks.

The baseball team takes on South Tahoe today at 4 p.m. at the Edward Arciniega Complex.

On Saturday, Fallon caps the crossover with a doubleheader against defending state champ Truckee at 9 a.m. and Sparks at 11:30 a.m.

The Lady Wave, meanwhile, host South Tahoe at 3:30 p.m. today at the Edward Arciniega Complex. First pitch on Saturday is at 9 a.m. against Truckee and 11:30 versus Sparks, and both games are in Dayton.

Baseball coach Lester de Braga and softball coach Bill Archer both said their clubs played well last weekend.

For de Braga’s squad, an error or mental mistake was the difference between getting out of an inning or allowing the Greenwave’s opponents to capitalize. He said the pitchers were solid for the first week of the season and emphasized they must keep the ball down in the strike zone.

“I think the kids will respond and we’ll come out and execute,” de Braga said. “We stepped up our practices and hopefully we’ll have a little more swagger.”

De Braga’s counterpart, Archer, said he was also pleased with the effort of his club, even though the record was not what many expected.

Facing tough California competition, Archer said his pitchers (Rileigh Ricken and Miranda Ford) pounded the strike zone, but adjustments will be made today.

The Lady Wave features an almost even split of veterans and freshmen, which Archer said are starting to form a chemistry.

He the offense hit well last weekend, but emphasized Fallon must play fundamental softball.

“We don’t know what to expect,” Archer said. “We want to play fundamental softball with our pitching and hitting and the rest will take care of itself.”