Robert Perea, The Fernley Reporter
Two innings into their second elimination game of the day last Friday, the Fernley Vaqueros were staring straight at the end of their season. But even trailing 6-0 and with the Northern 3A Most Valuable Player in the pitcher’s circle for Lowry, steely determination and some clutch hitting brought the Vaqueros back. Fernley wound up winning three eliminations games after being knocked from the winner’s bracket to reach the championship game of the Northern 3A Regional Tournament in Spring Creek and earn a berth in this week’s 3A State Tournament in Fallon.
The Vaqueros lost that championship game to Fallon on Saturday, 13-0, but their trip to State was already secured. They will face Boulder City at 1:30 p.m. Thursday. Fallon will face Pahrump in the other first round game at 4 p.m. The four teams will play a double-elimination tournament with the losers of the first-round games meeting at 11 a.m. Friday and the winners squaring off at 1:30 p.m. The championship will be decided on Saturday.
That the Vaqueros are in the tournament is due to that 10-9 comeback victory over Lowry in an elimination game last Friday, followed by a 7-2 win that eliminated defending state champion North Valleys.
“The girls did a great job on both sides of the ball,” coach Diane Chapin said. “We had players step up in intense situations and come through.”
Fernley had defeated Sparks 21-0 in three innings in the opening round, then lost 7-1 Fallon in the second round, forcing them to win three straight elimination games in order to reach the championship round.
“Thursday in the first two games I felt we came out flat and played some of our worst softball of the season,” Chapin said. “The Sparks game everyone contributed on offense and Sparks also helped us out.”
Nadia Velazquez was 4-4 and Taylor Tollestrup and Hunter Lyle had two hits each.
Against Fallon, the Vaqueros misplayed three balls in the field, leading to a 5-run first inning for the Greenwave. Lyle again had two hits and Jocelyn Wadsworth had 1 hit driving Fernley’s only run.
Friday was a better day all around for the Vaqueros.
First, they beat Elko 9-3. Pitcher Taetum Bill struck out 10 and had solid defense behind her with three outstanding catches in left field from Ciara Pritchard. Taylor Tollestrup was 3-4 at the plate and drove in four runs, three coming on her 7th home run of the season. Velazquez had three hits and Starr Schennum and Jocelyn Pimentel each added two hits.
Lowry jumped on the Vaqueros for a run in the first and five in the second to jump out to a 6-0 lead.
Joslyn Wadsworth came in to relieve pitching in the third inning and struck out four with no walks, giving the Vaqueros the chance to come back. She also was 3 for 3 at the plate. Hunter Lyle, Sara Moffett and Taylor Tollestrup each had triples. The triple by Moffett in the third inning drove in two runs and started Fernley’s comeback. Tollestrup followed with a triple to score Moffett, then scored on a single by Schennum.
Fernley tied the game in the fourth and briefly took an 8-7 lead in the fifth, but Lowry scored twice in the sixth and was back on top 9-8. Lyle’s triple in the bottom of the seventh tied the game, then in the bottom of the eight, Tollestrup scored the game winning run when she stole home on a pitch in the dirt and barely got under the tag at the plate.
A home run by Tollestrup in the first inning against North Valleys and a sacrifice fly by Lyle in the second accounted for two Fernley runs and carried the Vaqueros into the top of the seventh in a 2-2 tie. Seven different players contributed offensively and the Vaqueros rallied for five runs in the top of the seventh. with Tollestrup, and freshman Emma Masters getting two hits. Bill had a great outing on the mound striking out eight and shutting the the Panthers down when they had runners on base.
In the championship game, Fallon scored 10 times in the first inning and the Vaqueros managed just two hits, but whatever disappointment they felt was tempered by the chance to keep playing this weekend with a state title on the line.
“We will work hard at practice to be able to continue to execute when needed and take it one game at a time,” Chapin said.
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