Entering its final road trip of the season, the Lowry High School baseball team still had hopes of a playoff bid if everything went right for them last weekend.
Lowry needed to sweep a three-game series from Truckee, while have Fernley lose all three games at Elko. The Buckaroos saw their playoff chances go away with a 10-0 loss in the first game of the doubleheader on Friday, April 28. Lowry lost the second game of the doubleheader 5-3 and a single game 12-11 at Peccole Park in Reno this past Saturday. Fernley played the spoiler as well, winning its first game against Elko, which eliminated the Buckaroos.
Wolverines blank Buckaroos
Truckee sent 10 batters to the plate in the first inning of the opening game of the series and scored six runs. The Wolverines managed just three hits, but took advantage of two balks by Lowry and three errors. Three more errors by the Buckaroos led to three more runs in the second inning, giving the Wolverines a 9-0 lead. Truckee added a single run in the bottom of the fifth inning to end the game on the 10-run rule.
Lowry had just two hits in the contest, both coming in the third inning. Tazmin Milton led off with a single, but was erased from the bases on a double play. Darrin Nelson doubled with two outs, but was stranded at second base. The Buckaroos were retired in order in the other four innings.
Kyle Young started for Lowry and suffered the loss. He allowed 10 runs (two earned) on eight hits. He struck out three and walked none.
Truckee rallies to win nightcap
Lowry got off to a much better start in the nightcap, jumping out to a 2-0 advantage in the first inning. The Buckaroos changed up the lineup and Nico Espinola led off with a triple. He scored the first run, scoring on a ground out by Travis Hardy. Jake Marriott restarted the rally with a single and scored on a double by Nelson.
Truckee used a pair of hits in the third inning to cut the deficit in half. The Wolverines took the lead for good in the fourth inning with three runs on the strength of four singles.
Lowry closed the gap to 4-3 in the top of the fifth inning on a RBI-triple by Hardy that scored Milton. Truckee answered back with an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth inning and held on for the win from there.
Brendan Domire tripled with two outs in the top of the sixth inning, but was left on the bases as the inning came to a close. Young led off the seventh inning with a single for the Buckaroos, but the next three batters were retired in order.
Espinola, Hardy, Marriott, Domire, Nelson and Young each had one hit for Lowry. Hardy accounted for two of the three RBI.
Marriott threw a complete game for the Buckaroos in the loss. He allowed eight runs (five earned) on eight hits. He struck out seven and walked two.
Lowry rally falls short
The series finale moved to Reno and Peccole Park on Saturday on the campus of the University of Nevada.
Truckee scored two runs in each of the first two innings to take a 4-0 lead. Lowry jumped on the scoreboard for the time in the third inning after a triple and stolen base by Ridge Ricketts.
The Wolverines appeared to break open the contest with five runs in the fifth inning to go in front 9-1.
The Buckaroos began their first rally of the day with three runs in the fifth inning. With one out, Ricketts and Domire put together back-to-back singles.
Young loaded the bases with a walk and Marriott followed with a two-RBI single. Riley Sakurada added a single and Hardy a double to make the score 9-4.
Truckee answered back with two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to go back in front at 11-4. That set up a second rally, where Lowry scored seven runs in the top of the seventh inning to tie the game at 11.
Domire led off the frame with a double and Young walked. Marriott drove in the first run with a single, which was followed by a walk to Sakurada.
That began a streak of three consecutive hits by Hardy, Nelson and Anthony Good. A ground out by Espinola plated Nelson to make the score 11-10. Good provided the tying run with a stolen base of home.
Truckee put the first two runners on base in the seventh inning and eventually scored the winning run on a sac fly.
Domire had a team-high three hits, while Ricketts, Marriott, Michael Rangel and Nelson each had two hits. Sakurada and Good had one hit apiece.
Ren Mattson started for Lowry and received a no-decision. He allowed seven runs (five earned) on nine hits. He struck out two and walked one. Milton threw the final 3.1 innings and suffered the loss. He gave up five runs (two earned) on six hits. He walked three and struck out one.
Lowry hosted Fernley in a doubleheader on Friday. Results were not available at press time. The season concludes today (Saturday) at 11 a.m. with a single game.
