Fallon baseball sweeps three from rival

The Greenwave baseball team opened its 3A East schedule in exciting fashion last weekend.

With Friday’s game suspended due to darkness, Fallon defeated cross-valley rival Fernley, 12-11, in 11 innings Saturday morning before sweeping the following doubleheader, 4-1 and 7-5, at the Edward Arciniega Athletic Complex.

Fallon, which played Fernley on Tuesday in an exhibition game at the Reno Aces’ stadium, hosts Dayton on Friday and Saturday before traveling to Spanish Springs next Tuesday.

After Fernley tied the series opener in the seventh inning, both teams went scoreless until Fallon won the game in the bottom of the 11th.

The Greenwave had a couple chances to win the game earlier when James Kelsey doubled to lead off the seventh. After Trevor Hyde was intentionally walked with two outs to put runners on first and second, Riley McCullar struck out Evan Giovanetti to end the threat. Nathaniel Zachery doubled in the eighth and Chase Carnahan was intentionally walked before Kelsey walked on 3-1 count. McCullar struck out Mason Storm on four pitches to strand the bases.

Fallon broke through on the third opportunity after Tommy Ames was hit on a 2-2 count. Eric Cornejo doubled on a line drive to center, scoring Ames from first to end the game.

Fallon had led 7-4 after four innings but Fernley came back with sixth in the fifth before Fallon took the lead in the sixth.

Cornejo homered on the first pitch he saw in the sixth inning to cut the deficit to 10-8 before Zackery tripled in Hyde and Carson Melendy. Zackery scored on the throw to put Fallon up by a run going into the seventh.

Carnahan led Fallon with four hits, coming a home run shy of the cycle, as he also drove in two. Zackery and Cornejo each had three hits and three RBIs, and Anthony Juarez singled twice.

Zack Adams, Storm and Ames combined pitching efforts in the opener. Adams struck out five in 4.1 innings but gave up 10 runs (four earned). Storm struck out two in 4.2 innings and Ames pitched two scoreless innings.

In the doubleheader opener, Fallon was in control from the beginning as Juarez pitched a complete game, striking out six while issuing three walks and allowing two hits and one unearned run.

Unlike the first game, Fallon collected five singles and no extra-base hits.

A Juliot scored on Kelsey’s groundout in the first inning before Carnahan scored on a passed ball with Adams at the plate. Hyde scored on a fielder’s choice in the fourth inning followed by Brenan Alves scoring on Carnahan’s sac fly to center to give Fallon a 4-0 lead.

Fernley’s lone run came in the final inning when Layne Minoletti scored on an infield error.

In the series finale, Fernley struck first with two runs in the third inning, but Fallon scored seven unanswered in the third and fourth.

Luis Lopez-Pinuelas pitched 6.1 innings, striking out a pair and giving up nine hits and two walks. Ames closed the door with no hits.

Kelsey led the team at the plate with two hits and three RBIs, and Anthony Gonzalez, Zackery and Giovanetti each had a hit.

After Fernley jumped to a 2-0 lead, Fallon scored quickly in the third inning.

Kelsey singled on the second pitch to center to score Gonzalez and advance Carnahan to third. Carnahan scored on a passed ball followed by Kesley crossing the plate on a throwing error during the same play.

Zackery’s RBI groundout in the fourth gave Fallon a 4-2 lead before Gonzalez doubled in Alves and Kelsey singled in both Carnahan and Gonzalez to increase the margin to five.