Vaqueros win 3A State softball championship

Editor’s Note: This story will be updated with additional details and quotes.

Robert Perea, The Fernley Reporter

The Fernley High School softball team beat Fallon twice on Saturday to claim the3A state championship in Pahrump.

The Vaqueros came into the game out of the losers’ bracket needing to win twice and pulled off 4-3 and 4-2 wins.

Hunter Lyle and Ximena Rodriguez each drove in two runs in Saturday’s first game to force the winner-take-all “if necessary” second game. The Vaqueros got singles by Sara Moffett, Bella Leija and Joslyn Wadsworth and capitalized on Fallon errors to score three runs in the third inning of the second game. That gave Fernley a 4-1 lead, and pitcher Janessa Robinson made it stand up with seven strong innings.

The championship is the seventh in school history for Fernley softball, all under coach Diane Chapin. Those seven championships tied her with Dick Allen of Reed and Wooster for the second most state championships. The Vaqueros finished the season with a 31-11 record, which runs Chapin’s career record to 681-261-2, the most wins in state history. Mike Sparrow of Pahranagat Valley and previously Spring Creek won his 11^th state championship on Saturday and is second all-time behind Chapin with 592 wins.