Wave sweeps dust out of ’Devils

In yet another dominating performance, the Fallon baseball team needed just 17 innings to dispatch Dayton.

The Greenwave rolled in their Northern Division I-A three-game series last weekend at the Edward Arciniega Complex.

Fallon opened with a dominating 10-0 win on Friday in five innings, followed by 9-4 and 11-1 (five innings) victories in a doubleheader sweep on Saturday.

The Wave returned to diamond on Tuesday in the rubber match against cross-valley rival Fernley. Results were not available at press time.

“Again, just staying focused and playing the game itself,” Fallon coach Lester de Braga said of his team’s performance.

Fallon’s pitching was on point — as it has been all season — as Alex Mendez, Riley Williams and Cade Monardo each controlled the action.

Mendez, though, was nearly unhittable in Friday’s game, as the sophomore right-hander tossed another gem. He fanned six in five innings and allowed just two hits on 70 pitches, 51 of which were for strikes.

Mendez picked up his league-leading seventh win and lowered his ERA to 1.94.

Williams, meanwhile, continued his solid season on the mound going six innings in the 9-4 win.

He allowed four earned runs, but countered with six strikeouts as he was also efficient tossing 71 strikes in 108 pitches.

Monardo, though, has developed into Fallon’s No. 3 pitcher and has steadily improved all year. He allowed just one run on three hits in four innings and fanned four.

Like his peers, Monardo was just as efficient in finding the strike zone and getting ahead in the count. He only needed 50 pitches, 33 for strikes, as he added another win to his resume.

McElwain have been solid all season in relief. In addition, Tyler Bagby adds another powerful arm to the arsenal.

“Mendy on Friday was excellent,” de Braga said. Riley was excellent and we are still trying to develop Monardo as our third starter. We are counting on him as the season progresses … we have to have our third. I think Monardo is going to fill that role real well.

“When he comes out and relaxed, he throws real well,” de Braga added. “It’s a confident booster for him. He’s gradually getting there and he’s looking good.”

The starting rotation, though, is just half of the effort as Dylan Jabines and Chase

As the pitching and defense has been a staple this season for Fallon, so were the bats once again.

Bagby, Jabines and Jack Swisher each had two RBIs in Friday’s win, while Jabines, Marshall Coverston and Trae Workman each scored twice.

Bagby and Austin Bischoff each doubled, while Jabines and Swisher each stole one base.

In Saturday’s first game, Fallon was led by a pair of RBIs from Kyle Larsen, while Jabines scored twice.

In addition, the Wave’s discipline at the plate led to six walks.

In the finale, Williams blasted a triple and tallied three RBIs, while Kendall Johnson added two RBIs as the Wave reached the nine-run plateau for the 12th time this season.

“We got kids who can bang the ball around and really didn’t use the small ball this series,” de Braga said. “We are versatile and can go either way when we need it.”