It was built as a battle for the top spot in the 3A East, but the Lowry High School softball team made it look easy with a three-game sweep of Fernley, outscoring the Vaqueros 39-8 in three games to improve to 11-1 overall.
Lowry opened the series in Fernley on Wednesday, May 5, and won 15-4. The Lady Bucks scored a pair of runs in the second inning to lead 2-0 on an RBI-single by Mackenzie Salas-Begay to score Shelbie Hoyt and a groundout RBI by Hayden Case.
Lowry broke the game open in the third inning with five runs, which included a grand slam by Salas-Begay. The Vaqueros cut the Lady Buckaroo's lead to 7-3 in the bottom of the sixth inning, but Lowry countered with eight runs in the seventh inning.
Savannah Stoker led off the top of the seventh with a single, which was followed by singles by Natalia Zepeda, Kenzi Dowd-Smith, Hoyt, Bailey Hayes and Salas Begay. Stoker capped of the inning with her second hit of the frame, this time a three-run home run.
Salas-Begay was 4-for-4 on the day with six RBI, while Stoker had two hits and three RBI. Zepeda, Dowd-Smith, Hoyt and Hayes each had two hits.
Salas-Begay also picked up the win in the circle with the complete-game effort. She allowed four runs (none earned) on seven hits. She struck out three and walked two.
The series moved to Winnemucca on Saturday for a doubleheader and Lowry cruised to an 11-1 win in game one. The Lady Bucks built a 2-0 lead in the first inning and extended to 5-0 in the third on doubles by Zepeda and Case and a single by Dowd-Smith.
Fernley scored its lone run in the top of the fourth inning, only to see Lowry end the game in the sixth on the 10-run rule with six runs in the frame. Dowd-Smith and Case had doubles in the inning, while Kadence Cooney, Zepeda and Hayes had singles.
Bree Dunckhorst held the Vaqueros to just three hits in the complete-game win. She allowed one unearned run and struck out six.
Fernley scored the first two runs of the nightcap, but Lowry quickly came back and won the finale 13-3.
Zepeda gave Lowry a 4-2 lead in the second inning on a grand slam and the Lady Bucks went on to add two more runs in the frame to lead 6-2.
Lowry added two runs apiece in the third and fourth innings to increase the advantage to 10-3 and Zepeda ended the game in the sixth inning on the 10-run rule with a single, moments after her younger sister Isabella Zepeda doubled home Megan Cook.
Isabella Zepeda and Natalia Zepeda each had three hits and Stoker, Cook and Salas-Begay had two hits apiece. The Zepeda sisters combined for eight RBI.
Cooney and Salas-Begay shared the pitching duties, with Cooney earning the win. Salas-Begay had two strikeouts.
Lowry hosts Spring Creek on Wednesday at 3 p.m. and travel to Spring Creek on Friday for a doubleheader. Lowry is back on the road to Fallon on Tuesday to play Churchill County at 3 p.m.
The Lady Bucks host the 3A East Regional Championships on May 21-22.
