ELKO — It wasn’t easy at times but the Lowry High School softball team punched its ticket to the state championships for the second consecutive season this past weekend at the Northern 3A Regioanl Championships weekend in Elko.
In a win-or-go-home game on Saturday morning, Lowry built a 5-0 lead after an inning against Dayton, only to see the Dust Devils roar back to go in front 8-6 in the fourth inning.
However, the Lady Bucks plated the final nine runs to complete the comeback and win 15-9, collecting the trip to Mesquite this weekend.
Lowry played later on Saturday in the Northern 3A championship game and lost 10-0 to Fernley.
“Obviously we want to win every game we play, so we didn’t accomplish our ultimate goal,” said LHS coach Austin Mayo. “Our goal here was to punch our ticket to Mesquite and we did that. We wanted to go out and have fun and do what we do. We played pretty well all weekend and now we start over and look to win a state championship.”
Lady Bucks roll
past Greenwave
Lowry took on Churchill County (Fallon) in its first game on Thursday and came away with a 17-6 win against the defending state champion.
The Lady Bucks had one of their best offensive games of the season, pounding out four home runs and 16 hits, including five doubles.
“That might have been one of our best all-around games of the year,” Mayo said. “We hit the ball well.”
Lowry jumped out to a 4-0 advantage in the top of the first inning, as Kelcey Cooper and Sydney Connors opened the contest with doubles. Madi McClellan followed with a single and Sierra Maestrejuan closed out the scoring with a two-run home run.
Churchill County got a run back in the top of the third inning, when Lowry put the contest away with 10 runs in the bottom of the third inning.
Maestrejuan led off the third inning with a solo home run, the second of the game for her. Destiny Starkey added a three-run home run as well in the big 10-run inning.
Kenzie Dowd-Smith, Bailey Hayes, McClellan and Mackenzie Salas-Begay also had hits in the frame.
Lowry closed out the game in the fifth inning after a RBI-single by Dowd-Smith and a walk-off two-run homer by Cooper.
Dowd-Smith was 4-for-4 for the Lady Bucks, while Cooper, Maestrejuan, Salas-Begay and Alexus Gomez each had two hits. Starkey (five) and Maestrejuan (four) combined for nine RBIs.
Salas-Begay earned the win in the circle, allowing six runs (three earned) on 10 hits. She struck out seven and walked one.
Lowry falls to Fernley
In the winner’s bracket game on Friday afternoon, Fernley held off a late Lowry rally to win 6-4 and secure its ticket to state.
The Vaqueros scored single runs in the first and third innings to lead 2-0, when the Lady Bucks tied the game in the top of the fourth inning on a two-run home run by Maestrejuan.
Fernley bounced back in the fifth inning for four runs off three hits to go back in front 6-2.
Lowry cut the deficit to 6-3 in the sixth inning after consecutive hits by Connors, McClellan and Maestrejuan, but the rally fizzled with two strikeouts.
Lowry rallied again in the seventh inning, as Dowd-Smith led off with a double. She advanced to third on an error with Cooper at the plate.
However, the next two batters struck out, when McClellan kept the rally alive with a RBI-single to make the score 6-4. However, with two runners on base a strikeout ended the contest.
“We were right there and had our chances,” Mayo said. “We had two of our best hitters at the plate. I wouldn’t want anyone else up there. It’s a crazy game.”
Connors, McClellan, Maestrejuan and Dowd-Smith each had two hits. Salas-Begay suffered the loss, allowing six runs on nine hits. She struck out four and walked three.
Lowry eliminates Dayton
It appeared Lowry was going to cruise in its Saturday morning game against Dayton. The Lady Bucks jumped out on the Dust Devils for five runs in the first inning.
However, the Dust Devils answered back for five runs in the third inning and two more in the fourth to go in front 8-6. The Lady Bucks righted the ship for five runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to take the lead for good at 11-8.
Lowry added four insurance runs in the sixth inning to end Dayton’s season.
The Lady Bucks had 14 hits in the contest and Salas-Begay picked up the win.
“Mac has been there all year for us,” Mayo said. “She didn’t have her best stuff, but the offense was there to pick her up. That is what a good ream does.”
Fernley knocks of Lowry
Lowry was back on the field 30 minutes later to take on Fernley in the championship game. The Vaqueros broke open a 2-0 game in the fourth inning, with eight runs.
Macey Katzenmeyer took to the circle for the Lady Bucks and threw well despite the loss.
“It was a 2-0 game until some things didn’t go our way and Fernley took advantage of it,” Mayo said. “We have a couple days to fine-tune some things and get ready to go to Mesquite.”
Lowry plays Pahrump Valley on Thursday at 7 p.m. Fernley and Moapa Valley meet in the other semifinal at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday.
The two winners play at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, while the losers meet at 2 p.m. The championship is set for 10 a.m. on Saturday.
