The Territorial

When two teams meet, the home squad tends to call the shots.

Churchill County upheld that unwritten rule by edging out Fernley 7-5 in a tightly contested showdown, adding another chapter to the Vaqueros’ recent woes against the Greenwave. Fernley has now come up short six straight times in this rivalry, and despite a determined effort from six different players notching hits, they couldn’t shake the curse.

Alex Welsh and Riley McCullar did their level best to turn the tide, each going 2-for-4, with McCullar swiping a bag and knocking in a run. Yet, when the dust settled, Fernley found themselves sitting at 3-9-1 on the season, while Churchill County continued to ride high with six wins in their last seven outings, improving to 8-4-1.

Over on the softball diamond, Churchill County showed no interest in close contests, dismantling Fernley with a decisive 13-3 victory. If the Greenwave had a calling card this season, it was making short work of opponents—this marked their seventh double-digit win.

Janessa Bettencourt was a force of nature on both sides, fanning seven batters over six innings while allowing just one earned run. The ironclad hurler hasn’t posted less than seven strikeouts in four consecutive appearances. And if that weren’t enough, she wielded the bat with just as much authority, going 2-for-3 with a home run and four RBI.

Backing her up were Kalaya Downs and Maddison Keller, who provided the muscle at the plate. Downs launched a home run while Keller crossed home twice on a 2-for-3 showing. Churchill County’s bats were thunderous, with two long balls marking their best power performance since May 2024

With the win, Churchill County improved to 7-3, while Fernley—who entered the day on a five-game heater—saw their record slip to 8-2.

There was no time to dwell on the first game as Fernley and Churchill County laced up for a rematch later in the day. But if the Vaqueros had any hopes of revenge, the Greenwave had other ideas, rolling to a 10-7 triumph and sealing the sweep.

Maddison Keller and Dana Buckmaster played the mistresses of ceremonies in the hit parade. Keller went 2-for-4 with a home run, four RBI, and two runs, while Buckmaster took a perfect 2-for-2 turn at the plate, driving in three and launching her first home run of the season. Kalaya Downs kept pace, belting a homer of her own and collecting two RBI.

Churchill County hammered out 17 hits—keeping Fernley on its heels. With a 7-1 record when tallying 11 or more hits, the Greenwave have made it clear–when the bats come alive, they don’t lose.

Now sitting at 8-3, Churchill County looks every bit the powerhouse they’ve built themselves up to be. Meanwhile, Fernley, dropping to 8-3, will have to shake off the dust and get back in the saddle if they want to turn the tide next time these two meet.