Thomas Ranson / LVN Photo
The Lady Wave softball team will face a familiar foe if it wants to reach the state championship game.
After dispatching Faith Lutheran, 10-3, on Thursday in the first round of the Division I-A state tournament at UNLV, Fallon meets Fernley at 9 a.m. today with the winner advancing to Saturday’s title game. The loser takes on Faith Lutheran, which defeated Chaparral, 9-2. Fernley sent Chaparral to the consolation bracket with a 10-0 shutout.
“It’s going to be another dog fight with Fernley,” Fallon coach Bill Archer said. “That’ll be a big game.”
Rileigh Ricken picked up the win for the Lady Wave, going 4.1 innings with six strikeouts and two walks. The junior starter, who gave up two earned runs, was relieved by freshman Miranda Ford, who was perfect the rest of the way with two strikeouts.
Fallon led the entire game as Ricken drove in Kaysee Archer on a single to give Fallon a 1-0 lead in the third inning. Cady Cordes’ sac fly scored Ali Tedford to increase the lead by one. Archer and Tedford each reached with singles.
“It took us a couple of innings but by the third inning, we had adjusted to their pitching and starting hitting the ball into play,” coach Archer said. “The defense was sound.”
After the Crusaders scored in the fourth inning, Fallon went back to work when Archer laced an RBI triple to score Izzy Thomas, who singled, and then scored on Tedford’s stolen base at second. Freshman Megan McCormick, who’s been on a postseason tear, tripled in Tedford and scored on an error to give Fallon a 6-1 lead.
Faith Lutheran came back with two runs in the sixth inning before Ricken was relieved.
Tedford ignited Fallon’s four-run outburst in the bottom half of the sixth with a single and then she scored on a passed ball. McCormick reached on a single and stole third before scoring on Ricken’s groundout. Cordes reached on an error, while Macy Myers and Ford each singled. Gabby Sharpe capped off the scoring with a two-run double.
Evett takes on state golf tournament
Fallon sophomore Jeff Evett was the lone representative in this year’s NIAA Division I-A Boys Golf State Tournament this week at the Sierra Sage Golf Course in Reno.
Evett clubbed 93 on both days of the tournament to finish in the latter half of the field while the low medalist finished with a 72 and 74 to conclude his two-day score of 146.
Three northern teams placed in the top five with Lowry winning the tournament followed by Faith Lutheran, Boulder City, Elko and Spring Creek. Pahrump Valley finished sixth.