ELKO — In the first crossover game of the day, the Elko Indians routed Fallon for a lopsided 13-3 win.
The Greenwave had an early opportunity in the first inning to set the tempo, but Mo Coverston, who tried to score from third on a fly ball, was called out on an appeal for leaving the base early.
The Tribe seized on the momentum. Headley drew a lead-off walk to start the bottom of the first and promptly stole second. Kerns singled to move Headley to third, and he scored on a ground out by Dalton Ridgway.
In the bottom of the second, the Indians tacked on six more runs for a 7-0 lead. Kerns had a two-run double, and Ridgway hit an RBI triple.
The Wave closed the gap to 7-3 when Cody Long and Dalton Johnson scored on an Elko error.
The Tribe answered with six in the bottom of the fourth to bring the mercy rule into play. Armstrong and Schumacher each hit a two-run double during the inning.
Ridgway worked all five innings, gave up four hits, one earned run and struck out five.
“Dalton wasn’t as sharp as we hoped, but he finished well and allowed us to end the game in five innings,” Gilligan said.
Fallon used a pair of hurlers, Tristen Salazar and Chase McElvain, but both were roughed up by the Elko offense.
At the plate, Kerns, Dalton Ridgway, Armstrong and Schumacher all had two hits apiece.
Fallon salvages 1 win in crossover; opens spring break tourney with win
After the blowout to Elko, Fallon lost a close battle to Lowry but finished the day on a high note with a win over Spring Creek.
Fallon’s bats woke up with an 11-run fifth inning to invoke the mercy rule as the Greenwave won, 14-0, over the Spartans.
Earlier in the day, the Greenwave lost a heartbreaker, 8-6, to Lowry in a rematch from last year’s playoffs. Fallon came back from a one-game deficit to win a doubleheader and punch its ticket to the state tournament.
But the bats continued to stay hot in the River City Classic tournament.
Fallon defeated Florin (Calif.), 12-2, on Monday and continues tournament play today before hosting Silver Stage on Saturday in the first two league games of the season.
Thomas Ranson contributed to this story.