Softball: Dramatic series finish sets up showdown with Lowry

The biggest showdown in the 3A East could determine the league’s top seed and one of the two byes for next week’s regional tournament in Reno.

The Wave softball team came back from losing the first game of the series, 4-1, at Elko on Thursday with a doubleheader sweep on Friday, including a 5-3, 10-inning win in the nightcap. Fallon defeated Elko 14-5 in the first game on Friday. The Wave travels to Winnemucca this weekend for a three-game series.

Lowry and Fallon each 18 points with both losing to Elko, and this weekend will put one team in the driver’s seat of the 3A East crown with only one more week left in the regular season. The league winner will get one of the two byes for the regional tournament. A bye means the team would need to win its first game to advance to state and avoid the consolation bracket.

The regional tournament, which was originally scheduled to be played in Spring Creek, is now May 11-13 at Wooster High in Reno. The state tournament is in Mesquite at Virgin Valley High School.

Sophomore Maddie Keller was the hero of Friday’s dramatic series finale when she singled in two runs on a 1-2 count in the top of the 10th inning. Junior Kiley Wallace singled to center with one out and then advanced on Darci Owens’ 3-2 walk. With two outs, Fallon successfully executed a double steal to set up both runners in scoring position before Keller’s hard grounder into right broke the tie.

Fallon, though, ran into trouble saving the lead in the bottom half of the inning when sophomore Vernita Fillmore gave up two singles that put runners on first and second with one out. Sophomore catcher Dana Buckmaster, though, caught Bryleigh Cervantes stealing third for the second out before Kallista Crouch grounded out to Bergman at short for the final out.

Fallon had built an early lead before the game went into extra innings.

Fillmore, who struck out 10 Indians and gave up five hits in the complete-game effort, scored on a wild pitch with two outs in the first inning. Again with two outs, Fallon added another run in the fourth inning when Fillmore’s single brought in Keller, who drew a walk. Fallon led 3-0 in the fifth when senior Lydia Bergman doubled and then scored on a passed ball.

Elko tied the game in the sixth on a two-out bases-loaded double to center.

In Friday’s doubleheader opener, Fallon led the entire way after scoring three in the first inning before piling on seven runs in the fifth to break the game open.

Ahead 5-4 in the fifth inning, Bergman and Wallace walked, and Reece Hutchings singled to load the bases. With one out, Owens walked to bring in Hutchings before back-to-back run-scoring hits from freshman Janessa Bettencourt and Keller expanded the lead to six. Bettencourt’s 0-1 single scored sophomore Taraylnn Vershum, who reached by fielder’s choice, and Wallace scored on the throw. Keller’s 1-1 double scored Owens and Bettencourt.

Buckmaster’s sac fly to center and Bergman’s hard grounder scored two more runs to give Fallon a 12-4 lead.

Bettencourt pitched a complete game, striking out four but issuing no walks. She scattered 13 hits.

Even though Fallon out-hit Elko in the first game Thursday, the Wave couldn’t get the timely hit against Taylor Hunton.

Only one player — Hutchings — had two hits on the day as Fallon’s lone run came when Buckmaster’s sac fly scored Fillmore in the fifth inning to cut Elko’s lead in half, 2-1. Fillmore took the loss in the circle, giving up two earned runs and five hits but she struck out nine.