Fallon’s Taralynn Vershum runs down the first-base line in the Lady Wave’s game against Elko at the Edward Arciniega Athletic Complex.
After cruising past Dayton in a make-up doubleheader and taking the series over Elko, the Lady Wave softball team jumped to third in the league standings.
Second-place Lowry (9-1) comes to Fallon (11-4) this weekend, beginning with Friday’s series opener at 3 p.m. followed by Saturday’s doubleheader at 11 a.m. in the team’s final home games of the year. Fallon travels to fourth-place Spring Creek (10-5) next week to conclude the regular season.
Last Friday’s series-opening win over Elko saw a back-and-forth battle in the middle innings before Fallon thwarted an Elko rally in the finale to win 4-2.
After the first two Indians reached base via error and single, Vernita Fillmore snagged a lineout in the circle but an RBI groundout trimmed Fallon’s lead to 4-2. With the tying run at the plate, Fillmore forced a popup to Darci Owens at second to end the game.
Fillmore finished with five strikeouts and yielded four hits and three walks.
With the game tied at one in the fourth, Rochelle Prentice’s groundout scored Owens to give Fallon the lead. After Tutie Ames walked, Fillmore singled to right field to score Kiley Wallace and increase the lead to 3-1.
Fallon added a fourth run in the fifth on Wallace’s sac fly that scored Reece Hutchings.
Fallon won the series with a 14-1 victory in Saturday’s doubleheader opener.
Lydia Bergman homered twice to drive in five to set the tone for Fallon. Villmore kept Elko in check like Friday, throwing five innings and striking out eight against two hits.
Taralynn Vershum drove in two, on two singles and Raygen Bartel also had a pair of RBIs.
The series finale saw the Indians jump out to a 6-1 lead and hold on to win 13-9.
Down 13-1 in the sixth inning, the Lady Wave scored eight to remove the mercy rule.
Errors led to the first two runs of the inning before Bergman’s single scored Prentice to trim the deficit to nine (13-4). Hutchings singled in two runs in the next at-bat and later scored on a passed ball. Shayda Lofthouse, the team’s lone senior, grounded to short, which resulted in another Elko error that scored Owens.
With one out, Fallon still had chances at more runs.
Dana Buckmaster and Prentice’s walks loaded the bases but Fillmore flew out to second for the second out of the inning. Wallace, facing an 0-2 count, flew out in front of the team’s dugout to strand three runners.
Lofthouse pitched the first three innings, giving up five earned runs, and Prentice pitched the next 2 ⅓, allowing three earned runs. Fillmore pitched the remaining five outs.
Fallon-Dayton series recap
Hutchings’ four-hit performance led Fallon past Dayton, 14-2, in last Monday’s doubleheader opener on the road.
Hutchings and Vershum each drove in a pair of runs while Bergman doubled twice and had one RBI. Fillmore singled three times and Buckmaster singled twice.
Buckmaster picked up the win in the circle, going seven innings and allowing four hits while striking out five.
In the nightcap, a 17-0 win, Fallon scored 13 in the first inning as Prentice pitched three innings and struck out four.
Vershum and Owens each drove in three runs, while Fillmore, Bergman and Lofthouse each had two RBIs. Fillmore had the only extra-base hit (triple).
