Fallon dusts off Lowry

It didn’t take long for the Greenwave baseball team to rebound from a series sweep in Elko.

Fallon continued its dominance at home by sweeping Lowry over the weekend as the pitching staff yielding only seven runs total in the three-game series.

Fallon, which improved to 9-5 in the Division I-A with the only home loss coming against Truckee, rode on Tyler Bagby’s grand slam to win the first game on Friday, 11-3, before coming back from behind to win the first game on Saturday, 6-3. Alez Mendez baffled Lowry in the series finale as Fallon won 6-1 to win its fourth-straight game over Lowry dating back to last year’s regional tournament.

“Elko was kind of a shocker to me. I felt like we could have won one game, maybe two,” Fallon coach Lester de Braga said. “To sweep Winnemucca and get back on track, I can’t be any more pleased in that respect.”

The Greenwave found themselves in an early hole on Friday in the series opener as the Buckaroos jumped to a 2-0 lead off Joe Pyle in the second inning. Fallon, though, came back with four runs thanks to Bagby’s fourth home run of the season, a grand slam off Lowry’s Aaron Nelson, who took the loss.

Lowry added another run to cut the deficit to 4-3 but Fallon added five more in the fourth and two in the fifth to put the game out of reach.

Dalton Frank and Riley Williams each drove in a pair of runs while Trae Workman had one RBI. Pyle and Cody Long each collected two hits for the Greenwave, and Mo Coverston, Dylan Jabines, Jack Swisher and Workman each had one hit.

Pyle plowed through 4 2/3 innings to earn the win after giving up only one earned run on five hits and three walks. Chase McElvain finished the game, striking out five and yielding one hit.

Like the opener, Fallon had to battle from behind in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader.

After scoring the game’s first run in the first inning, Fallon’s bats went silent as Lowry scored three in the third inning. Fallon inched a run close in the fourth inning before erupting for four in the fifth to reclaim the lead.

Bagby picked up where he left off by driving in three more runs on two hits, while Tristan Salazar drove in two. Austin Bischoff recorded an RBI, and Frank and Coverston each had a hit and scored.

McElvain picked up the win in relief after Salazar threw for four innings and gave up three earned runs. McElvain pitched two innings before giving way to Riley Williams in the seventh.

Lowry’s Tanner Lecumberry took the loss despite going the distance and allowed two earned runs after his team committed three errors.

For the first time in the series, the Greenwave didn’t need to stage a comeback after opening the scoring with a three-run second inning to force out Lowry’s Tytin Johnson and back up Mendez on the hill. Fallon added one in the third before Lowry got on the board in the sixth inning. The Greenwave picked up two insurance runs in the bottom half.

Frank led the team with two RBIs, while Bagby and Cade Monardo each drove in one. Bagby and Sage Mori led the team with two hits.

Mendez pitched 5 1/3 innings for the win, yielding the one run on three hits while striking out five and walking two. Williams pitched the rest of the game, striking out two.

Coupled with Fernley’s upset at South Tahoe, only two games separate Fallon from second place in the Division I-A standings. Elko is in first place for the first time this season at 13-4, followed by South Tahoe (11-5), Fallon and Fernley (9-5), and Spring Creek (8-6).

Fallon and Fernley met for series finale on Tuesday after Fernley won the first meeting and then Fallon responded with taking the second game earlier in the month. Fallon travels to Dayton this weekend and Sparks next week before coming home in three weeks against South Tahoe.

“That was one of those things that on any given day anyone can beat anyone,” de Braga said about Fernley’s series win over South Tahoe.