Fallon's Baylor Sandberg blasts a home run to give the Greenwave the lead in Thursday’s state-opening win over The Meadows.
Photo by Thomas Ranson.
Less than 24 hours after winning its opening game, the Greenwave baseball team’s offense was limited in an 11-0 loss to Virgin Valley, as Fallon dropped into the consolation bracket in a rematch against The Meadows.
The Meadows, though, exacted revenge after falling to Fallon by a run on Friday to end the Greenwave’s season with an 8-3 victory to set up an all-South state championship on Saturday at the Edward Arciniega Athletic Complex.
With Sacramento State commit Baylor Sandberg on the hill in the first game, the Bulldogs jumped on the Fallon senior with two runs in the first inning and took a 4-0 lead into the final inning when they added seven more. Sandberg struggled with his command, walking six Bulldogs while striking out six and scattering five hits. Sandberg, though, kept the game within reach for Fallon, but it managed only three hits on the afternoon.
Senior Brady Alves led off the bottom of the first with a single but he was stranded. James Kelsey and Bryce Adams each singled. Fallon advanced only one runner into scoring position during the game when Kelsey advanced to second on an error in the fourth.
In Fallon’s final game of the season, Sandberg’s RBI double that scored Alves tied the game in the first at one, giving Fallon its first run of the day. But that’s as close as it would get for the green and white as The Meadows scored five runs in the second inning off starter Adams. A two-run, one-out triple broke the tie before a single and double increased the Mustangs’ lead to four.
Down 7-1 in the third, Sandberg singled in Alves, who was hit by the pitch, and Chase Carnahan, who doubled. Kelsey walked, setting up first and second with no outs but Fallon couldn’t convert. Adams struck out, Trevor Hyde grounded out and Issac Martinez grounded out to third with runners on second and third.
Adams struck out five but walked four in his final appearance.
In Thursday’s 4-3 opening win over The Meadows, Sandberg broke a 3-3 tie in the fifth inning with a solo bomb over the left-center fence and Anthony Juarez pitched two scoreless innings in relief.
Kelsey was in control until giving up a two-run double that tied the game in the fifth inning. Kelsey gave up three hits and issued six walks, but he struck out four Mustangs.
With the tying run 90 feet away, Juarez recorded the final out, a fly ball caught by Kelsey in right field.
Fallon led 2-1 after answering The Meadows’ first run in the second when two runners crossed the plate on an infield error. Kelsey's single in the next inning gave the Greenwave a 3-1 lead.