Fernley baseball settles for second in state

It was a disappointing run to an otherwise memorable three-year run for the Fernley baseball team.

Fernley was denied a second straight NIAA/U.S. Bank 3A title when it lost to Manogue 13-3 on Saturday in the championship round. But the Vaqueros still have two state runner-up finishes and a state title over the last three years.

The Vaqueros were able to make it to the championship round this season despite the mid-season resignation of coach James Huckaby.

"For everything that has happened this year, I don't think anybody expected us to get this far," said Cory Sandberg, who moved up from the junior varsity to take over for Huckaby. "We're all happy with the way things turned out, just being able to get to the championship game and having a chance at it again."

Fernley couldn't take advantage of its chances in the first four innings in which it stranded 10 runners and fell behind 8-0.

"We were able to get runners on base," Sandberg said. "We just weren't able to get the hit when we needed one."

The Vaqueros were able to break through for three runs in the fifth inning to close to within 8-3. But the game was called due to the 10-run rule when Manogue scored five runs in the bottom of the fifth.

Sandberg said Fernley's three-year run was a testament to its senior class, which included Matt Lambeth, Brian Reeder, Kyle Davis, Tim Hines, Andy Rupley and Adam Schwab.

"It was basically due to their leadership," Sandberg said. "It's hard to put in words just how much they meant to our program."