Softball Game Preview: Fernley Vaqueros vs. Granite Bay Grizzlies

The Fernley Vaqueros will head out to take on the Granite Bay Grizzlies at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Neither Fernley nor Granite Bay posted many runs in their last games, so it might be the pitching crews that decide this one.

Fernley is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Nevada's top teams: Lowry, who was ranked 12th at the time (Fernley was ranked 18th). The Vaqueros sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 2-0 win over the Buckaroos on Saturday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Vaqueros have posted since May 10, 2024.

Fernley let Grace Chapin and Taylor Tollestrup run wild. Chapin went 1-for-3 with one home run, while Tollestrup got on base in all three of her plate appearances with two stolen bases. Another player making a difference was Madison Hill, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one RBI.

Meanwhile, Granite Bay fell victim to Del Oro and their airtight pitching crew on Friday. They lost 11-0 to the Golden Eagles. The pitching woes were uncharacteristic for the Grizzlies, who until this contest were averaging 3.82 runs allowed.

Granite Bay has been struggling recently as they've lost four of their last five games. That's put a noticeable dent in their 5-6 record this season. As for Fernley, with the win, they broke their four-game losing streak and moved their record to 9-5.

Granite Bay's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Fernley hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .391. It's a different story for Granite Bay, though, as they've only averaged .232. Will they be able to contain Fernley's hitters? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.