The Fernley Softball Little League Juniors battled 107-degree heat, long delays and tough competition in the West Region Junior Girls Softball tournament in Tucson, Ariz., last weekend, going 1-3 overall.
Fernley lost its first game 16-3 to Magnolia Little League from Seattle, Wash., on July 24.
The biggest moment for the team came the next day, when Fernley bounced back to beat Blue Mountain LL from Heppner, Ore., 12-2.
Blue Mountain had defeated Fernley 17-1 at last year’s regional, and after Saturday’s loss to Fernley, went on to win the consolation bracket.
“That was a huge victory for us,” manager Sarah Parale said. “They played at the top of the game and to be able to beat that team was really good.”
The game against Oregon started an hour-and-a-half late because the previous game went long. After winning that game, Fernley had a two-hour break before playing Hawaii’s Gold Coast LL from Waimea/Kamuela, where they lost 14-11.
“Coming back after that win to do it again physically was pretty hard,” Parale said. “They pushed through, but that definitely was one of our toughest days there.”
After Hawaii scored five runs in the top of the first inning, Fernley answered with seven in the bottom half, then added two more in the second inning and led 9-5. Hawaii scored a run in the fourth and six in the fifth to take a 12-9 lead. Fernley rallied for two runs to get within 12-11 before coming up short.
“We were close, we were ahead the whole entire time,” Parale said. “Just couldn’t hang on there at the end. But that day was physically and mentally tough.”
In the consolation bracket, Fernley was eliminated with a 10-7 loss to Abbott-O-Rabbit LL from Anchorage, Alaska, on July 26.
Alaska put Fernley on its heels from the outset, scoring seven runs in the first inning. Fernley chipped away at the lead with two runs in the second and fourth innings and three in the fifth to get within 9-7.
“That was rough, and I’ve got to say even though we lost that game, the way they handled that to come back was super amazing,” Parale said.
The tournament also offered experiences beyond the field. Opening ceremonies allowed players to meet teams from other states. They attended a dinner, listened to a guest speaker who had played Little League softball in Arizona, played Division I softball, and is now a coach, traded pins with players from other teams, and ended the night with a dance party where Hawaiian players taught dances to the Nevada team.
“It’s a huge boost of confidence for them to look around and say, ‘We were the 13 players from Nevada,’” Parale said.
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