Lady Wave rails Sparks

After a rare rainstorm forced the postponement of Fallon’s senior day, the Lady Wave managed to hammer a pesky Sparks squad during Monday’s Northern Division I-A doubleheader.

Fallon earned a 13-3 win on Friday and 13-3 and 14-4 wins on Monday.

Fittingly enough, Fallon’s lone senior, Ali Tedford, scored the winning on a wild pitch as Fallon maintains a two-game lead on Lowry for the second seed.

The Lady Wave (17-3 league, 18-7) visit South Tahoe (7-13, 7-13) in a three-game set Friday and Saturday to cap the regular season.

“We knew that coming in, that was a dangerous team,” Fallon coach Bill Archer said. “We know they snuck a game off Lowry and if you to come in a series with the focus of taking one at a time.”

Sparks (9-13, 9-13) came into the series chasing Elko for the fourth seed. After the sweep, though, the Railroaders were eliminated from playoff contention.

The Railroaders appeared poised to give Fallon a challenge on Friday, but suffered a crushing blow in the bottom of the first inning.

Ace Jocelyn Vasquez broke her ankle chasing a foul ball from the circle on a weak pop-up by Fallon’s Megan McCormick.

Prior to the injury, Vasquez crushed a three-run home run in the top of the first inning to give Sparks a surprising 3-0 lead.

After the injury, though, the spirits for Sparks faded and Fallon’s bats exploded for 13 runs on just nine hits to earn the five-inning victory.

“I didn’t notice until I was on third,” Tedford said of scoring the winning run in her final home game. “I’m happy it worked out that way.”

On Monday, Fallon cruised to the 14-4 win in the first game, and then rode the momentum to a 13-3 victory in the finale.

Marissa Coleman belted a three-run homer for Sparks, but the Railroaders’ defense committed five errors as Fallon scored five runs in the final three innings to seal the win.

Coleman, though, wasn’t the only long-ball threat as McCormick and Paige Thorn each swatted homers in Friday’s game.

For Fallon, though, the Lady Wave is locked into the second or third seed with an outside chance at the No. 1.

Fernley (19-1, 21-4) must lose three of its final four games and Fallon must sweep South Tahoe. The likeliest scenario, though, is Fallon and Lowry (15-5, 18-6) will tangle in the first round of the regional tournament on May 8 at Dayton.

“They are starting to put it together in terms of what we have to do to get ready for the playoffs,” Archer said.