Wave notch pair of wins

Knock off two Division I schools and people start taking notice, even if it’s the first week of the season.

The Greenwave baseball team began the 2014 slate with a convincing win over North Valleys before capping off the three-day Mike Bearman Tournament with a one-run win over Spanish Springs. Fallon, which also tied McQueen and lost to Reed, opened Division I-A play on Tuesday in Fernley. Results were not available at press time.

Fallon knocked off North Valleys, 9-6, on Friday before tying McQueen, 7-7, and losing to Reed, 13-3, on Saturday at Reed High School. The Greenwave, though, erased a four-run deficit to nip Spanish Springs, 8-7, at Reed on Saturday.

Only two other Division I-A schools competed in the annual tournament, which is populated with mostly DI teams from the region. Truckee, which competed in Fallon’s pool, and Lowry each left Reno winless.

Fallon erased two early deficits against Spanish Springs by scoring three times in the fifth and sixth innings.

Tyler Bagby led the Greenwave with two solo home runs while Jack Swisher doubled in a run to go along with a single. Cody Long and Branden Beeghly each singled twice and drove in a run. Riley Williams also singled in one, and Tristen Salazar and Mo Coverston each singled.

Williams, a sophomore, started on the mound for the Greenwave, striking out six in five innings and allowing only one earned run (five unearned). Joe Pyle pitched two innings in relief for the win.

Fallon erupted for six runs in the third inning against North Valleys before the Panthers answered with five runs in the final two innings.

Freshman Alex Mendez picked up the win on the hill, while Dalton Frank, Swisher, Salazar, Sage Orozco and Mo Coverston each picked up a hit. Swisher, also a freshman, cleared the bases with a double while Frank and Orozco each doubled. Salazar tripled for his only hit.

Bagby, Frank and Mendez each stole a base while Fallon showed patience at the plate, drawing seven walks and one hit-by-pitch.

Mendez threw five innings, striking out five and walking two, to pick up the win. Chase McElvain relieved Mendez, allowing five runs (four earned) in one inning, but Salazar closed the game to seal the win.

The Greenwave couldn’t hold onto a seventh-inning lead as McQueen came back with two runs to end the game in a tie. Trailing 2-0, Fallon scored four runs in the third before McQueen tied the game for the first time at 4. Fallon scored a run in each of the last three innings.

Cody Long and Bagby each had two hits and one RBI, while Swisher, Austin Bischoff and Salazar each recorded a hit and RBI. Coverston drove in a run, and Orozco, Frank and Beeghly each had one hit. Sage Mori, Orozco and Bischoff each stole a base.

Salazar started on the hill, going six innings and yielding four earned runs to go with five strikeouts. Joe Pyle and McElvain pitched in the seventh inning with Pyle allowing two runs (one earned).

Fallon mustered only three hits in its 10-run loss to Reed as the Raiders broke the game open with seven runs in the fourth inning.

Frank doubled in a run, Bagby drove in one off a single and Pyle singled for the Greenwave’s three hits. Frank added another stolen base and Salazar picked up one.

Long picked up the loss as the southpaw lasted three innings, giving up seven runs (six earned), but struck out two. McElvain allowed six runs in relief but recorded two strikeouts. Each pitcher, though, had three walks.

After its game against Fernley, Fallon returns home to host a three-game series against regional runner-up Truckee. First game is at 3 p.m. Friday and a doubleheader at 11 a.m. is set for Saturday.