Despite dropping two of three games to Fallon in their final Northern 3A East series of the season last week, the Fernley High School softball team will get a bye this weekend in the first round of the regional tournament.
The top two teams from both the East and West divisions receive a bye into the six-team double-elimination bracket next week in Dayton, while the Nos. 3 and 4 seeds from each division play each other in a best-of-3 series this week to determine the last two teams in the bracket.
As the No. 2 seed, the Vaqueros are set to play at 10:30 a.m. next Thursday against the winner of the series between West No. 3 Sparks and East No. 4 Elko.
The Vaqueros and Greenwave combined to score 96 runs and hit 11 home runs in the three games, with Fallon winning Tuesday’s game 19-18 and the second game of Wednesday’s doubleheader 21-14 in 8 innings. In between, Fernley won the first game of the doubleheader 18-6.
“A little bit of Mother Nature helped,” coach Diane Chapin said of the strong wind that blew both days. “A couple of mistakes here and there kept innings going.”
Fallon hit four home runs in the first game of the series to overcome a pair of seven-run deficits. Fernley scored eight runs in the first inning and another in the third to lead 9-2, but the Greenwave responded with four runs in the fourth inning, capped by a three-run homer from Kanani Mauga to cut it to 9-6.
A grand slam by Fernley’s Janessa Robinson in the bottom of the fourth pushed the lead back to 13-6, but Jocelyn Pimentel, Audrey Fruzza, and Kalaya Downs each homered in the top of the sixth as Fallon surged ahead 16-13 with a 10-run rally. Fallon added three more runs in the seventh to go up 19-14, and Fernley’s final rally fell one run short, despite Mauga throwing out a runner at home plate to help limit damage.
Fernley bounced back in the first game of Wednesday’s doubleheader, winning 18-6 behind early offense and a big fourth inning. The Vaqueros scored six runs in the first inning using three walks, a hit batter, a Fallon error, and three hits, then added nine more in the fourth. Bella Leija drove in two with a single, and Ximena Rodriguez capped the inning with a grand slam.
In the second game, Fernley built a 10-3 lead through four innings, scoring in bunches again with two runs in the second, five in the third, and three in the fourth.
But Fallon stormed back, scoring once in the fifth, then erupting for nine runs in the sixth and another in the seventh to take a 14-10 lead.
Fernley answered with a dramatic rally in the bottom of the seventh, scoring four runs to tie the game at 14-14 and force extra innings. Fallon then powered the finish, hitting two home runs and scoring seven runs in the eighth to secure the win.
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