The Fallon softball team welcomes Janessa Bettencourt at the plate after her home run against Fernley on Saturday.
Photo by Thomas Ranson.
Playing together since they were 8 years old, Reece Hutchings and Kiley Wallace have been through a lot.
Their freshman year on the softball diamond was shortened because of the pandemic. Then the next two springs, Fallon came one win away from reaching the state tournament for the first time since last decade. In similar fashion, the volleyball team last fall was also a win away from going to state after Fallon won the divisional title.
Hutchings and Wallace – the only seniors on the softball team – soaked in every moment after watching their freshman right fielder make a running catch for the final out, giving Fallon an 11-1 win over rival Fernley for the state championship Saturday. Posing together for photos with the state trophy and shedding tears of joy after finally getting their ring, both were overcome with emotion in describing the importance of each other in their lives.
“Reece and I do everything together. We’re basically the same person,” Hutchings said. “There’s not another person I would want to share this moment with besides Reece. It will definitely be one of the best moments of our lives together.”
Added Hutchings, the team’s anchor at third: “I’m so proud of her and I’m so grateful I got to experience this with her.”
But for Fallon to become the state champions, it needed to dethrone the champions.
As soon as the Wave defeated North Valleys in last week’s regional tournament, the players and coaches knew that the state championship was theirs for the taking.
Junior Vernita Fillmore continued her wizardry from the pitcher’s circle, shutting out Pahrump Valley in the state opener. The Wave outscored cross-valley rival Fernley 17-3 in the final two games, including an 11-1 decision on Saturday to capture the Class 3A state championship at the Edward Arciniega Athletic Complex.
Fallon finished the year with a 23-6 record after winning 11 straight since late April.
With a double-digit lead in the fifth inning, Fillmore retired the first two Vaqueros before Nadia Velasquez singled. Two pitches later, Sara Moffet smacked the ball to right field where a running Kalaya Downs tracked down the ball for the final out.
The team swarmed Fillmore on the infield dirt.
“The feeling is indescribable. These girls became my family over the season,” said Wallace, who plays in center field. “There’s no better feeling than to take it all on our home field. All the hard work, long practices, everything that was put into this, it means a lot.”
Fillmore struck out two, walked one and gave up her first and only earned run of the postseason, a solo homer in the fourth inning.
“That's a huge part of her success is she hit her spots,” Chu said. “We had a plan with their big hitters stepping up and she stuck to the plan. Her changeup was working, especially last weekend. It was just key for her to hit her spots and be smart where she was throwing it.”
A big change to the team’s approach on defense came before the regional tournament.
Chu rotated between Fillmore and sophomore Janessa Bettencourt because the defense was stronger with Fillmore at shortstop. For the postseason, though, Chu moved Bettencourt from shortstop to second and brought in freshman Layla Walker to work the left side so Fillmore could carry the team from the circle.
And it worked as planned.
Fallon opened the regional tournament with a win over Fernley before taking down North Valleys, last year’s state champion that ended Fallon’s season in the regional semifinals in 2022 and 2023, before capping it off with another win over Fernley for the title.
“Janessa was a huge reason for us getting to this point and she threw amazing this season,” Chu said. “We started that way because it was a lot stronger with Vernita at shortstop, but everybody stepped up. Layla stepped into that position and Janessa was at second. (Vernita’s) a workhorse and we told her during the first game against Fernley and Spring Creek (last month) that you're it until you can't be it. You have to tell me every day that you're good, and she did it.”
“Just constantly working on my spin, knowing each batter going up and especially having a great defense behind you is amazing because your defense is going to have your back,” Fillmore said about her success in the circle.
Fillmore got Fallon’s offense going off starter Taetum Bill in the first when she tripled off the fence. After a groundout and infield pop out, Hutchings smacked a ground ball into left before both her and Fillmore scored when junior catcher Taralynn Vershum doubled.
“Everyone’s been working super hard and everyone’s been showing up at the plate,” Hutchings said. “The past two weeks, everyone’s been going after it. It’s been great to see.”
After Fallon got out of a second-inning jam, the offense exploded for nine runs in the bottom of the inning, including three off a pair of home runs.
“Vernita killed it on the mound. The chemistry this team has is unmatched,” Wallace said. “The bond we built in the past 16 weeks or however long the season is, that’s what really put us forward. There’s never a dull moment with this team. I’m going to miss each and every girl.”
Just as important as it was for Fillmore to keep Fernley off balance, the defense needed to stay sound. After committing four errors in the first two games, the Wave was flawless in the field.
“That's what I said: we don't need to change a thing and make it complicated. We just need to play defense like we were practicing,” Chu said. “We practiced super hard all week.”
Defense, though, hurt Fernley in the second inning when Fallon scored nine times.
An error and fielder’s choice allowed Walker and Bettencourt to reach base before freshman Sutton Yost struck out. Fillmore was intentionally walked, which backfired when junior Dana Buckmaster beat out the throw at first after Jocelyn Pimentel hesitated when fielding the ball at third. Wallace lofted a single into left to score Bettencourt before Hutchings walked with the bases loaded to score Fillmore.
Southpaw Joslyn Wadsworth replaced Bill and on the third pitch, Vershum’s grounder was misplayed at second, which scored two runs to give Fallon a 7-0 lead. Fernley coach Diane Chapin argued with the umpires that Hutchings interfered with second baseman’s Ciara Pritchard’s attempt to field the ball, but the call stood. Junior Maddie Keller grounded out but Hutchings scored from third as Fernley was one out away from stopping the bleeding.
Walker, who led off the inning, hit the first pitch to center, which bounced in and out of Velazquez’s glove and over the fence for a two-run homer. Bettencourt followed on the next pitch with a solo shot over the center-field fence, giving Fallon an 11-0 lead.
“The coaches were talking (Friday night) that some people weren't hitting but we felt like they were going to step up and shine. They did,” Chu said about the bottom of the lineup. “We didn't rely on just a few. Everyone contributed to get on base.”
Needing four runs, Fallon looked to end the game in the next inning but it stranded a pair of runners after Buckmaster walked and Wallace singled with one out. Hutchings struck out and Vershum grounded out to third.
Fillmore’s only earned run of the tournament came on the third pitch in the fourth inning when Starr Schennum launched the ball over the centerfield fence to put Fernley on the board. Fillmore retired the next three Vaqueros.
FALLON 6, FERNLEY 2
The Wave broke open a 2-2 tie with four runs in the second inning to take a 6-2 win over Fernley in the second round of the state tournament on Friday.
Fillmore struck out seven Vaqueros and didn’t allow an earned run after Fernley scored two off errors in the first inning.
Wallace had the big day for the Wave with a two-run homer in the first inning. The big blow came in the fourth inning when Fallon scored four runs. Hutchings also had a big game for Fallon, hitting safely three times in four trips to the dish.
Once Fernley scored two runs in the first, Fillmore settled down and hurled shutout ball. Fernley’s Taylor Tollestrup had an RBI in the first inning.
FALLON 5, PAHRUMP VALLEY 0
Fillmore fanned 13 Trojans in a complete-game shutout as Fallon defeated Pahrump Valley, 5-0, in the first-round game Thursday.
Fillmore took a perfect game into the fifth before allowing a one-out single that split the left side of the infield. Fillmore retired the next two Trojans in order, including registering her ninth strikeout of the game.
Fillmore doubled to lead off the bottom of the first and then scored on Wallace's groundout to third. After Hutchings doubled, catcher Vershum singled in the senior on a line drive to left to give Fallon a 2-0 lead.
Fillmore's two-out double in the second scored Walker for the third run of the game.
Fallon loaded the bases in the fifth with no outs, scoring a pair without recording a hit.
Vershum grounded into a force out at home but with Keller facing a 1-2 count, Wallace scored on a wild pitch that hit the backstop. Keller's sac fly to center scored Hutchings to increase the lead to 5-0. Walker grounded out to the pitcher to leave two runners on base.