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Wednesday, July 9, 2025 at 11:55 AM
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Softball: Greenwave Takes Aim at Second Consecutive State Championship

“We’ve always had kind of the Fallon–Fernley rivalry, and we see each other a lot, so it’s fun, and these girls are all friends with each other and play travel ball,” Fallon coach Kasey Chu said. “So, it’s fun to compete against them"...
Softball: Greenwave Takes Aim at Second Consecutive State Championship

Author: Photo Courtesy of Robert Perea

Fallon’s Vernita Fillmore tries to tag Fernley’s Taylor Tollestrup at second base during the Northern 3A Regional championship game last Saturday. 
Photo by Robert Perea 

Three times the Churchill County High School softball team has won consecutive state championships. The Greenwave will go for another repeat this week after winning the 3A Northern Regional Tournament last Saturday. 

The Greenwave beat Fernley 4–3 in the championship game Saturday afternoon to enter this week’s 3A State Tournament in Pahrump as the North No. 1 seed. The Greenwave will face SLAM, the South No. 2 seed, at 3:30 p.m. Thursday. Fernley will be the North No. 2 seed and face Boulder City at 1 p.m. The championship game of the double-elimination tournament is at 10 a.m. Saturday. 

It was the seventh time the Greenwave has faced Fernley in the regional final—and the fifth win in those seven matchups. Last year, Fallon beat Fernley 13–0 in the regional championship and again 11–1 in the state championship game. 

“We’ve always had kind of the Fallon–Fernley rivalry, and we see each other a lot, so it’s fun, and these girls are all friends with each other and play travel ball,” Fallon coach Kasey Chu said. “So, it’s fun to compete against them.” 

Despite being the defending state champions, the Greenwave entered the regional tournament as the No. 2 seed from the East Division. They beat Elko 4–2 and North Valleys 6–2 on Thursday, then outlasted Lowry in an epic battle on Friday, 13–8, to reach the championship round. Fernley forced the “if necessary” game with an 8–4 win, but Fallon held off Fernley’s seventh-inning rally to claim the championship, 4–3. 

“It’s been a long few days for these girls, and they showed a lot of heart and determination,” Chu said. 

Just when Fallon seemed poised to ease into the championship game with a five-run fourth inning to take a 7–1 lead over Lowry on Friday, the Buckaroos rallied for six in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game. Lowry then scored in the bottom of the sixth to threaten to send Fallon to the losers’ bracket. 

But after Maddison Keller opened the seventh inning by reaching on an error, Sutton Yost doubled her home to tie the game. Kalaya Downs followed with another double to score Yost and give Fallon the lead. Taraylynn Vershum singled home Downs, Fillmore singled in another run to make it 12–8, and Janessa Bettencourt finished the rally with a double to drive home Fillmore. 

After coming through the losers’ bracket to reach the championship, Fernley forced the deciding game with an 8–4 win on the back of a five-run fifth inning. 

But the Greenwave scored three runs in the third inning on a bases-loaded triple by Yost and carried a 4–1 lead into the bottom of the seventh. Fernley scored on a double by Sara Moffett that brought home Taylor Tollestrup, then added a run on a single by Hunter Lyle. But with two outs and the tying and winning runs on base, Fillmore induced Lauren Smith to hit a comebacker for an easy out at first base, clinching the championship trophy for Fallon. 

“We always knew we had a target on our back because everyone wants to defeat the state champs from last year,” Chu said. 

Now the Greenwave turn their attention to trying to repeat as state champions with most of the same players back from last year’s team. 

“Especially for this group of seniors that we’ve got to see just grow and mature with us, I think it’s going to mean everything,” she said. “I know we can do it.” 


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COMMENTS
Comment author: Mike HinzComment text: I knew Sam as a member of our church growing up. He always had a warm smile, a kind word, and a great sense of humor! He will be great missed!Comment publication date: 7/2/25, 11:57 AMComment source: Obituary -- Samuel Bruce WickizerComment author: Mike HinzComment text: Great teacher, great coach, but even a better person!!! Rest in peace Mr. BeachComment publication date: 7/2/25, 11:53 AMComment source: Obituary -- Jack Victor Beach, Jr.Comment author: Mike HinzComment text: I had Mrs Hedges for First Grade at Northside Elementary in 1969. I still, to this day, remember her as a wonderful teacher…one of my favorites!!Comment publication date: 7/2/25, 11:29 AMComment source: Obituary - Nancy Marie Hedges C Comment author: Carl C. HagenComment text: What are MFNs and PBMs ?? ............................ From the editor: This is a very good question and we apologize for not catching that wasn't in there. We reached out to the writer/submitter and got this info back...hope it's helpful. PBM: Pharmacy Benefit Managers are pharmacies that are owned by insurance companies. (CVS is one.) They negotiate with drug makers to get reduced pricing for medications, but they historically have not passed along those savings to patients. https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/pharmacy-benefit-managers-staff-report.pdf MFN: Most Favored Nation pricing is a policy that means a country agrees to offer the same trade concessions (like tariffs or price reductions) to all member nations of the World Trade Organization (WTO). When applied to pharmaceuticals, it could disrupt global access, deter innovation, and obscure the deeper systemic issues in American health care. https://petrieflom.law.harvard.edu/2025/05/22/the-global-risks-of-americas-most-favored-nation-drug-pricing-policy/Comment publication date: 6/23/25, 7:47 AMComment source: L E T T E R TO THE EDITOR
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