WINNEMUCCA — The big inning doomed the Greenwave softball team Saturday from advancing to the championship game in the Northern 3A-East tournament at Lowry High School. The Vaqueros, which won the regular season against Fallon with two wins in three games, rallied for a 9-8 win to send Fallon’s season record to 12-5 overall, 11-4 in league. Fallon’s 10-game winning streak came to an end after beginning with a 17-5 win over Fernley on April 24. Fernley finished 12-4 overall, 11-4 in league. Sailing through the first four-and-a-half innings with a 2-1 lead against the Vaqueros, Fallon hurler Trinity Helton walked the first two batters she faced in the home-half of the fifth. An infield error loaded the bases. Braelyn Birkel walked on four consecutive pitches followed by Aschlynn Roemer’s RBI to centerfield to cut Fallon’s lead to 7-3. Another infield error led to another Fernley run before Haeley Diehl Lea ripped a single to drive in a pair of runs with Fallon now holding on to a one-run lead, 7-6, with no outs. Helton struck out Kacie Harer on four pitches before Marissa Sandate singled to tie the game, and after another strikeout, Diehl Lea stole home with Sandate swiping second to give Fernley its first lead.
Tony Erquiaga/Nevada News Group Fallon shortstop Lydia Bergman throws to first base. Bergman has been solid at both shortstop and at the plate this season.
With two outs in the top of the sixth, Helton hit an 0-1 pitch for a groundout that scored a run to tie the game. Fallon went quietly in the top of the seventh. Diehl Lee singled to begin the inning and took second on a passed ball. Harer grounded out into a fielder’s choice to advance Diehl Lee to third. Starr Schennum batted for Josephine Youngs and worked the count to 2-2. She singled to centerfield to drive in the winning run. Helton’s record fell to 4-1. She allowed eight hits and five earned runs, stuck out eight and walked five. Mackenzie Depaoli pitched the final four innings and picked up the win. The Wave began the game on fire when Lydia Bergman smacked a line drive for two runs. Shaylee Fagg walked followed by a pop up and strikeout. Fernley responded with a run in the bottom of the inning. Viehland hit the first pitch for a run-producing single to right field. With two out in the third inning, Raelynn Neumann doubled to clear the bases for a 5-1 lead, and Fallon added two more runs in the fourth on Rachel Mori’s two-run homer to right field. Mori finished the season with a .481 batting average and seven homeruns. Bergman led the team in homeruns with 10 as well as in the team’s batting average with a .653. Fallon wins final home game Rachel Mori belted two home runs and pitcher Trinity Helton settled down after the second inning to close the door on league-leading Lowry as Fallon grabbed a 12-9 win over visiting Lory Tuesday (May 18) in a Northern 3A-East softball game played at the Edward Arciniega Athletic Complex. Fallon heads to Lowry for the league tournament and plays Fernley on Saturday at 9 a.m. Winless Dayton forfeited Friday’s game. Lowry doesn’t play until Saturday at 11:30 a.m. against the winner of Elko-Spring Creek. Aided by four Fallon errors in the first two innings, Lowry (13-3) jumped on Fallon (12-4) for six runs, but the Wave rallied to tie the game in the home half of the second inning. Kenzi Dowd-Smith doubled in Lowry’s first run, and Bailey Hayes rode a full-count pitch for an RBI single to right field. Undaunted, the Lady Wave came back with five runs in the first inning. Shaylee Coldwell walked, and Lydia Bergman singled. A passed ball allowed Bergman to move up and Coldwell to score. Shaylee Fagg walked on a full count. Savana Manha then singled to centerfield to drive in a pair of runs for a 3-2 lead.
Tony Erquiaga/Nevada News Group Wave Trinity Helton pitches for Fallon while Reece Hutchings readies herself at third base.
Helton helped her own cause by driving in a run, and Raelynn Neumann grounded out to allow courtesy runner Emily Clyburn to score. The second inning turned into a mini-nightmare for the Wave. Three consecutive Fallon errors loaded the bases. Isabella Zepeda’s fielder’s choice sliced the lead to 5-3, and Dowd-Smith had her second hit of the game, an RBI single. A passed ball tied the game, and Shelbie Hoyt’s grounder gave Lowry the lead. Fallon tied the game in the bottom of the second on Mori’s first home run of the game, a first-pitch solo shot to centerfield. The Wave took a 7-6 lead in the fourth inning on Mori’s second home run. Lowry scored twice in the fifth inning after the Buckaroos recorded two outs. Mackenzie Salas-Begay doubled followed by Megan Cook’s single. Zepedea then doubled home both runners for an 8-7 lead. The Lady Bucks tied the game in the top of the sixth inning on a Dowd-Smith home run. In the bottom of the inning, Savana Frost and Mori walked, and Coldwell ripped a 1-0 pitch to centerfield for a three-run homer. Helton retired Lowry in order in the seventh to pick up the win. Salas-Begay, who pitched only one inning, took the loss.
Tony Erquiaga/Nevada News Group
Tony Erquiaga/Nevada News Group