Truckee ekes out 1-0 win for 3A state baseball title

MESQUITE — Every score affecting Fallon in the state baseball tournament came down to a difference of one run.

Even Saturday’s championship game between the Wave and league nemesis Truckee came down to the last inning, but Fallon left the bases loaded and fell 1-0 as the Wolverines won their second straight 3A title.

With two outs, Brenden Larsen laced a long fly ball to right field that was caught for the final out.

Fallon opened the inning with an out, and the second batter, Sean McCormick, singled. His bother Tommy hit into a fielder’s choice. Catcher Edgar Alvarado walked, Shaw Lee reached base on an error to load the bases.

Truckee scored its lone run in the first inning off Derek Laferriere’s double, and pitcher Jake Streit, who gave up seven hits, picked up the win.

Fallon also loaded the bases in the top of the first, but the threat ended with two outs. Alvarado walked, and an error put runners on first and second. Larsen singled to load the bases, and pitcher Chase Irvin popped out.

Irvin, though, began the fourth with a single, and one out later Reile Cole singled. Fallon stranded the runners on a pop up and grounder.

Irvin undoubtedly pitched one of his best games of the season, but the lack of run support hurt. The Fallon senior gave up five hits, struck out three and walked one against the 3A’s No. 1 ranked team.

It was the second time in as many weeks Fallon lost a game and had to come through the loser’s bracket to reach the championship bracket. If Fallon had defeated Truckee, both teams would have played another game in the double-elimination tournament.

The Greenwave ended the year with an overall record of 24-13 and is the 30th ranked baseball program among all conferences in Nevada. In both the regional and state playoffs, Fallon posted a 6-4 record.

Fallon advanced to the championship game against Truckee with a pair of close games against Boulder City, the No. 1 team from the Southern 3A and Moapa Valley, the league’s runner up.

A big fourth inning gave Fallon its first lead, and the Wave held on for a 6-5 win.

Down 5-2, the Wave opened the inning on back-to-back singles from Nate Galusha and Brock Richardson. Sean McCormick ground out but score a run, and Tommy McCormick’s single tied the game at 4.

With two outs, Hayden Strasdin’s singled to center field gave Fallon a 5-4 lead. The Wave added an insurance run when Avery Strasdin, who was courtesy runner for catcher Edgar Alvarado, who had doubled, scored on a passed ball.

Troy Connell, who had singled home two runs in the third inning to break a tie, batted in the Eagles’ fifth run in the fifth inning on a single.

Boulder City scored two runs in the first inning on Blaze Trumble’s home run. Fallon tied the score in the second on Hayden Strasdin’s passed ball and Richardson’s single.

Lee picked up the win for the Wave. He allowed six hits and struck out eight. Trumble, who came in for an inning in the fifth, took the loss for Boulder City.

After dropping a hard fought game to Boulder City on Thursday night, Fallon tenaciously battled the Eagles and scored the eventual go-ahead and winning run in the ninth inning for a 12-11 verdict.

Richardson opened the inning with a single and eventually advanced to third base. With two outs, Alvarado, who had three hits in the game, singled home Richardson.

Both teams scored three runs in the third inning. Fallon scores on Tommy McCormick’s sacrifice fly, an error and Irvin’s RBI single.

Gavin Hadley cut the lead with an RBI single in the home-half of the inning, and Boulder City tied the score on Gavin Hadley’s single to left field that drove in a pair of runs.

Fallon scored a run in the fourth inning and three more in the fifth for a 7-3 lead.

With two outs in the fourth, Richardson scored on a passed ball, and in the fifth, Fallon scored on a balk and a two-run single ripped by Cole.

The Pirates narrowed Fallon’s lead to 7-5 in the fifth, scoring on an error and a run on a double play.

The Wave increased its lead to 11-5 with four runs in the sixth.

Alvarado torpedoed a two-run homer, and Galusha hit a two run double for a seven-run lead.

Moapa Valley came back in the bottom of the inning with two runs.

Fallon struggled in the bottom of the seventh.

Galusha, who picked up the win, relieved Strasdin because the Fallon hurler had reached his pitch count.

Moapa Valley scored a run on a sacrifice fly and single, but with two outs, Evans doubled home two runs.

Needing three more outs to set up its sixth meeting with Truckee, the Greenwave baseball team saw Boulder City come from behind to steal a 5-4 win Friday night at Virgin Valley High School.

Fallon rode the arm of its senior hurler for most of the game before Brenden Larsen ran out of gas late in the sixth inning. After Alvarado’s two-run homer ignited the scoring for Fallon, Larsen was on cruise control until surrendering a pair of runs in the sixth inning. Both runs came on two outs after a dropped foul ball.

Irvin came in relief and limited the damage in the sixth, giving Fallon a 4-3 lead heading into the final frame.

Boulder City scorched the first pitch of the final frame into centerfield and then followed with a walk before a bunt advanced both runners to second and third. Irvin induced a potential double-play but a bobble on the transfer at second tied the game. Jimmy Dunagan laced a 2-2 pitch down the third-base line and off Hayden Strasdin’s glove to bring in the winning run.

Thomas Ranson contributed to this article.