Fernley Rides High While Sparks and Carlin Stumble

The Fernley Vaqueros saddled up and rode roughshod over the Sparks Railroaders on Saturday, galloping to a 20-0 victory. It was a runaway affair from the first crack of the bat, and the Railroaders never found the tracks to get back into the fight. That lopsided score sets a new high-water mark for Fernley this season.

Ximena Rodriguez crossed home plate three times and made herself a presence on the base paths, reaching safely in all four of her plate appearances. Right alongside her, Taylor Tollestrup swung a hot bat, going 2-for-2 and adding a run to the tally. The Vaqueros were firing on all cylinders, racking up a blistering .688 batting average—a performance that’s becoming standard fare, as they’ve now hit .409 or better in three straight games.

With three consecutive home victories, Fernley has pushed its record to 6-1, thanks in no small part to a stingy pitching staff allowing just one run per contest in that stretch. Sparks, meanwhile, has yet to get its season rolling, falling to 0-2 with Saturday’s shutout.

The road ahead offers little respite as they prepare to square off against Elko on Friday at 4:00 p.m. Fernley, looking to keep its winning ways intact, will take on Wooster at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday—a test for Wooster’s bats against a Vaquero pitching crew that has yielded a meager 1.9 runs per game all season.

Elsewhere, the Carlin Railroaders got derailed by the Wells Leopards in a bruising 15-0 defeat. It was a day the Railroaders would rather forget, as their bats fell silent and their nine-game home winning streak came to a screeching halt. Carlin, now 2-1, had been rolling over opponents by an average of 10.6 runs during that streak, but Wells had other plans, snapping a six-game road losing skid and clawing their way to a 2-4 record.

The road calls for both squads in the days ahead. Carlin will head to Round Mountain today at noon, aiming to halt their opponent’s three-game win streak before it stretches to four. Meanwhile, Wells will venture to Virginia City on Saturday at 10:00 a.m., where they’ll be staring down an offensive juggernaut—Virginia City has rattled off ten or more runs in its last four outings. If Wells likes a challenge, they’ve found one.