Vernita Fillmore’s pitching helped Fallon to its first regional title since 2018.
Anthony Mori | Elko Daily Free Press
One team has stood in the way the last two years of the Lady Wave softball team reaching the state tournament.
On Friday, Fallon got its third chance to knock out North Valleys to advance to state, and this time, the girls accomplished their mission.
After defeating Fernley, 7-1, on Thursday to set up a showdown with the defending state 3A champs, Fallon prevailed with a 5-1 win to send the Panthers into the consolation bracket. Fallon followed up with a 13-0 win over Fernley for the Northern 3A regional title after the Vaqueros upset North Valleys on Saturday and the state runner-up, Lowry, the day before.
Fallon will be the No. 1 seed from the region in the state tournament, which begins today at the Edward Arciniega Athletic Complex. Fallon takes on the South’s No. 2 seed, Pahrump Valley, at 4 p.m., while Fernley faces Boulder City at 1:30 p.m. The tournament resumes on Friday with a championship semifinal and pair of consolations. The championship game is at 10 a.m. on Saturday with the if game to follow.
Fallon rode the arm of junior Vernita Fillmore all tournament.
Fillmore outdueled North Valleys’ Brittney Byram in Friday’s semifinal, striking out three and giving up no earned runs while scattering eight hits. The Panthers, who knocked out Fallon in the last two tournaments, also committed four errors.
Fallon led the entire game after scoring one run in the first before adding four in the fourth and fifth innings to build a 5-0 lead.
Kiley Wallace’s one-out single put Fallon on the board in the first inning before Taralynn Vershum scored with Layla Walker at the plate in the fourth. Hutchings singled in Fillmore in the next inning before Wallace scored on a ground out. With two outs, Fallon added its last run on Maddie Keller’s infield single that scored Hutchings.
Fillmore’s toughest inning came in the sixth when the Panthers scored their only run.
The first two batters reached base on an error and single before Fillmore got Bryam to fly out to catcher Vershum in foul territory. An RBI groundout gave North Valleys its only run before Fillmore induced another fly out to end the inning and threat.
Fillmore got out of another jam in the last inning after the first two Panthers singled. North Valleys loaded the bases with one out before Fallon picked off a runner at second followed by a popup to end the game.
A 10-run first inning allowed Fallon to end the championship game with the mercy rule in place.
The first six batters reached base after Wallace, Hutchings and Keller each singled in a run. Walker and Janessa Bettencourt’s groundouts brought in runs, Fillmore doubled in two, Dana Buckmaster singled in one and Hutchings drove in two.
Fillmore struck out three and gave up one hit and one walk.
In Thursday’s 7-1 win over Fernley, Fillmore fanned 11 while giving up one unearned run on three hits and three walks.
Fallon’s offense was ready to go after a near-two-week break since sweeping Spring Creek to end the regular season.
The Lady Wave scored five runs in the first and a pair in the third to coast.
Sutton Yost led the team with two RBIs on one hit, while Fillmore, Hutchings and Walker each drove in one.
Buckmaster’s bunt into a fielder’s choice led to the first run when Fillmore scored on an error. Hutchings’ single brought in Buckmaster followed by Walker’s single to score Hutchings. Yost’s two-run, two-out single to right scored Walker and Keller.