RENO, Nev. - The University of Nevada (25-17-1, 6-6-1 WAC) baseball team pounded out 19 hits to defeat San Jose State (17-27, 5-8 WAC) 16-9 in the first game a four-game Western Athletic Conference series on Friday night at Peccole Park. With the victory the Wolf Pack improved to 25-17 overall and evened their conference mark at 6-6-1. The Spartans dropped to 17-27 and 5-8 WAC play.
Nevada scored five times in the bottom of the first inning on the way to the seven-run victory. Left fielder Nick Melino drove in the first two runs with a single then right fielder Brian Barnett followed with his team leading 11th home run of the season to make it 4-0. Third baseman Garrett Yrigoyen hit a solo home run in the inning and it was 5-0.
SJSU got a two-run single from catcher Anthony Bona in the top of the second inning but the Pack responded with four in the bottom half of the inning. Four different Nevada hitters drove in a run in the inning.
The Spartans scored two more in the third inning to make the score 9-4. Left fielder Kerry Jenkins doubled home both SJSU runs. Yrigoyen delivered an RBI single in the fourth and center fielder Westley Moss scored a run on his ground out to push the lead to 11-4 after four innings of play.
Both teams scored four runs in the sixth inning. SJSU got two-RBI hits from third baseman Corey Valine and first baseman Danny Stienstra. Catcher Michael Turay walked with the bases loaded to force home Nevada's first run and shortstop Kevin Rodland's bases clearing double scored the next three for the Pack to make it 15-8.
A single run in the top of the seventh would be all the scoring for the Spartans and Nevada countered with a solo home run by Melino in the bottom half of the inning to make the final score 16-9.
Senior Chris Garcia (6-2) struggled allowing four runs on six hits in five innings but won his team leading sixth game of the season. Reliever Beau Witsoe (2) recorded his second save of the season pitching the final 3.2 innings allowing two runs on eight hits. Luke Mazzanti (1-7) suffered his seventh loss giving up nine runs on 11 hits in just two innings on the mound.
Seven Pack hitters finished the night with multi hits. Second baseman Cullen Mahoney (3-for-5,2R), Melino (3-for-5,3R,4RBI), Yrigoyen (3-for4,3R,3RBI) and Turay (3-for-4,R,2RBI) had three hits apiece while first baseman Shaun Kort (2-for-6,2R), right fielder Brian Barnett (2-for-4,3R,2RBI) and designated hitter Brock Stassi (2-for-5,2R,RBI) contributed two each. Melino finished with a game-high four RBI with Rodland and Yrigoyen driving home three each. Barnett and Turay finished the night with a pair of runs drive in.
Valine (4-for-5,R,2RBI) led SJSU with four hits and drove in two. Stienstra (3-for-4,R,2RBI) had three hits on the night. Second baseman Karson Klauer (2-for-5,2R), Jenkins (2-for-5,2R,2RBI), Bona (2-for-4,R,2RBI) and shortstop Richie Johnson (2-for-3) added two each as the Spartans totaled 16 in the game. Valine, Jenkins, Stienstra and Bona all had two RBI apiece on the night.
The two teams will square off on Saturday afternoon with a doubleheader starting at 1:00 p.m.
