Fernley takes advantage of Faith Lutheran mistakes in Division I-A softball

Faith Lutheran’s softball team seemed to be in good stead after two innings of its elimination game against Fernley in the Division I-A state tournament Friday.

The next two innings couldn’t have been worse for the Crusaders.

Fernley ripped four doubles to score three runs in the third inning and took advantage of five errors in the fourth inning to defeat Faith Lutheran 10-2 in the losers’ bracket final of the tournament at UNLV’s Eller Media Stadium.

The Vaqueros (29-6) advance to meet Churchill County (26-9) in the title game at 10 a.m. today at Bishop Gorman. It’s the third straight year the Greenwave and Vaqueros will meet for the I-A crown.

“Man, they hit the ball,” Faith Lutheran coach John Chilman said. “We said that we wanted to make it to the finals, so it’s disappointing that we didn’t make it that one step further, but getting to state is a big deal.”

Breanna Hemphill’s RBI double and Claire Peck’s run-scoring single in the first inning gave Faith Lutheran a 2-1 lead. Fernley tied the game in the top of the second, then ripped four doubles in the span of six batters in the third inning to take a 5-2 lead.

The Crusaders couldn’t get out of their own way in the fifth inning, committing five errors to effectively end their chance of advancing.

“We can’t make those errors in a state tournament,” said Chilman, whose team committed eight errors after being charged with nine errors Thursday in a tournament-opening loss to Churchill County.

“We have not been a team that has made errors. We’ve averaged less than two a game until this tournament, but these teams from the North, they put the ball in play.”

Hailee Edgar was 4-for-5 with a double and an RBI for Fernley, which pounded out 14 hits — six for extra bases — against three Faith Lutheran pitchers.

Hemphill was 2-for-3 with a double and a run, and Makena Martin went 2-for-4 with a triple for Faith Lutheran.

■ Faith Lutheran 5, Sierra Vista 1 — Winning pitcher Makena Martin went 1-for-3 and had two RBIs as the Crusaders grabbed an early lead, then tacked on three sixth-inning runs to top the Mountain Lions in an elimination game.

Martin allowed five hits and struck out three in 5 1/3 innings.

Samantha Jack’s RBI single in the first inning plated Martin, and the Crusaders held a lead the rest of the way.

Vanessa Valdez and Hemphill each went 2-for-3 with Faith Lutheran.

Taylor DeGuzman was 2-for-3 with an RBI for Sierra Vista (17-11).

DIVISION III

White Pine freshman Britney Kingston finished 3-for-4 with two homers and four RBIs to lead the Bobcats to an 11-1 win over Yerington in the losers’ bracket final of the Division III state tournament at The Meadows.

Kingston also struck out two in a three-hitter to earn the win.

White Pine (16-8) will face Lincoln County (24-7) in the state final at 9 a.m. today at UNLV’s Eller Media Stadium. The Bobcats will have to win twice to claim the title.

Kingston hit the first of her two homers in the third inning to push the Bobcats’ lead to 3-0. She also pitched out of several jams.

Teal Hussey went 2-for-4 with two home runs and three RBIs for White Pine.

■ White Pine 8, Battle Mountain 4 — Jane Murdock’s two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth inning sparked a five-run rally that pushed the Bobcats past the Longhorns (18-14-1) in an elimination game.

McKenna Windous allowed one run while scattering six hits in four innings of relief to pick up the win.

Shania Hall had a double and an RBI for White Pine, and Kingston finished 2-for-3 with a triple, a home run and four RBIs.

■ Lincoln County 7, Yerington 0 — Aspen Wilkin scattered five hits and struck out nine in a complete game to power the Lynx by the Lions.

Wilkin also provided the game’s first run, as her sacrifice fly scored Aya Rowe in the top of the third inning.

Chesnee Harding drove in two runs, and Easton Tingey homered for Lincoln County.

DIVISION IV

Pahranagat Valley had to use a late six-run rally to win its opening-round game of the Division IV state tournament.

The two-time defending state champions left little room for doubt Friday.

The Panthers scored seven runs in the second inning to grab control in a 14-4 win over Wells in the winners’ bracket final at Mountain View.

Pahranagat Valley (18-6) will again play Wells (31-3) in the state final at 10 a.m. today at Desert Oasis. The Leopards will have to win twice to claim the title.

After falling behind 1-0 in the first inning, the Panthers answered with seven runs in the second. Wells cut the lead to 7-4 in the fifth, but Pahranagat Valley put up seven more in the sixth to seal the win.

Brook Higbee finished 3-for-5 with a triple and three RBIs, and Alyson Egbert went 3-for-4 for the Panthers, who got a double and two RBIs from Madison Harris.

■ Eureka 10, Indian Springs 6 — Hannah Thormahlen pitched a complete game and went 1-for-3 with a walk and two runs in the Thunderbirds’ loss to the Vandals in the losers’ bracket semifinals.

Cheyanne Noyes had two walks and two runs for the Thunderbirds, who trailed 6-5 after the fifth inning.

Halle Jackson and Britni Mitchell added RBIs for Indian Springs (20-9).