Fallon senior James Kelsey pitches against Elko in Saturday’s series-finale win.
Anthony Mori | Elko Daily Free Press
The Greenwave baseball team won its third league series in a row despite suffering its first 3A East loss of the season.
Fallon scored double-digit wins over Elko to bookend last weekend’s series on the road for a two-game lead in the standings. Fallon (8-1) travels to Lowry (5-4) this weekend for three games before finishing the regular season at home next week against Spring Creek (4-5). The 3A North regional tournament is next month at Hug High School in Reno.
Runs weren’t a problem to begin last week’s series in Elko after Fallon scored seven runs in the third and four in the sixth to end the game early, 19-7.
Senior Chase Carnahan and junior Zack Adams each drove in four with Carnahan getting the team’s lone home run on the afternoon. Adams also doubled, and senior James Kelsey doubled twice to drive in two and senior Trevor Hyde singled twice and drove in three. Senior Evan Giovanetti drove in three and doubled.
Kelsey, Adams and Juarez each doubled to drive in runs in the first inning and give Fallon a 5-0 lead before Elko scored a couple in the bottom half. Carnahan got the runs back with a two-run homer over the left-field fence in the second inning. He also singled in a run to start the scoring in the third inning when Cornejo had an RBI groundout followed by run-scoring singles by Adams and Hyde and a two-run double by Giovanetti.
Nathaniel Zackery drove in one in the fifth before Kelsey doubled in one, Adams singled in two and Hyde drove in one to give Fallon a 12-run lead.
Senior Mason Storm and Adams each pitched with Adams allowing three earned runs on 10 hits and three walks, but he struck out five. Storm pitched two innings of shutout ball, striking out three while giving up a pair of hits.
After taking a brief one-run lead in Saturday’s doubleheader opener, Fallon couldn’t come back against Elko as the Indians scored four in the fourth to win 6-5.
Carnahan and senior Anthony Juarez each had two hits, and Kelsey drove in two and doubled. Carnahan, Hyde and senior Eric Cornejo each had an RBI.
Juarez pitched a complete game, allowing four earned runs on six hits and two walks.
Fallon led 2-1 in the third before Elko tied the game and then scored four in the following inning to take the lead. Fallon, though, scored three in the fifth but was held scoreless in the last two innings.
Carnahan’s single tied the game in the third before Kesley’s groundout gave Fallon its only lead (2-1). A sac fly, catcher’s interference, double and flyout gave Elko a four-run lead going into the fifth when Fallon staged a comeback attempt.
Zackery, Gonzalez and Carnahan singled to load the bases with no outs before Kelsey and Cornejo walked to bring in two runs. After a strikeout, Hyde singled in Carnahan but Kelsey was thrown out at home trying to tie the game. A strikeout ended the threat.
Fallon singled and doubled to lead off each of the next two innings but couldn’t get past second.
In the series finale, a nine-run fourth inning was the difference to lock up the victory.
Senior Anthony Gonzalez, Hyde and Adams each had three hits with Adams also driving in a team-high three runs to go with a home run and double. Gonzalez also doubled and drove in two, and Giovanetti drove in two on two doubles. Carnahan singled and doubled.
Juniors Brenan Alves and Ryan Judd, sophomore Tommy Ames and Hyde each had an RBI.
Kelsey struck out five in two innings while giving up an unearned run, senior L Lopez-Pinuelas struck out four in four innings but issued five walks and gave up an earned run. Storm struck out one in one inning.
In the fourth inning, Ames walked with the bases loaded to tie the game before Gonzalez doubled in a pair of runs. A pitcher’s error led to two runs with Kelsey at the plate before he hit a line drive that was mishandled in the infield, leading to another run. Adams tripled in Kelsey, Hyde singled in Adams and Giovanetti doubled in Hyde to give Fallon a 9-1 lead.