Box Score SAN JOSE, Calif. - The University of Nevada baseball team (11-17) defeated the San Jose State Spartans (32-22, 10-11 WAC) 11-4 tonight in game one of Nevada's last regular season series of 2011. The win snapped an eight-game losing streak at Municipal Stadium.
RHP Tom Jameson (5-6, 5.05 ERA) was dominant over six innings allowing just one run (unearned) on six hits en route to his team-leading fifth victory of the season.
Jameson gave up his only run in the bottom of the first inning when leadoff hitter Craig Hertler reached on an error by Garrett Yrigoyen and later scored on an RBI groundout by Danny Stienstra.
The sophomore didn't allow a hit until the third inning and came up big when he struck out back-to-back hitters to escape a bases loaded, one-out jam in the sixth inning of a 5-1 game.
Nevada batted around and hit six singles in a four-run third inning. Michael Turay, who started at designated hitter, began the inning with Nevada's first hit of the contest on a bunt single down the third base line. After Carlos Escobar Jr. lined out to right field for the first out, Braden Shipley reached on a fielder's choice, and Jamison Rowe (2-for-5,RBI,3R), Joe Kohan (3-for-6,4RBI,R), Brock Stassi (1-for-5,2RBI,R) and Nick Melino (2-for-4,RBI,R) all singled consecutively. With two outs, Yrigoyen (3-for-5,2RBI,R) singled home Stassi for the Pack's fifth run of the inning.
Timothy Culligan entered the game in the seventh inning in relief of Jameson, but retired just one batter and allowed two runs on three hits. Mat Keplinger came on with one out and a runner on first base and got out of the jam preserving Nevada's 5-3 lead.
The Pack added what seemed like a crucial insurance run in the eighth inning when Rowe doubled down the left field line with two outs and scored on an RBI single by Kohan to make it 6-3.
However after the Spartans added a run of their own in the bottom of the eighth, Nevada added five runs in the top of the ninth to pad its lead. With no outs and runners on first and third, Yrigoyen hit a ground ball through the left side to score Melino for his second RBI of the game. Shipley later drew a five-pitch, bases loaded walk to make it 9-4 Nevada and Kohan topped it off with a two-out double to extend the lead to 11-4.
Matt Gardner (2-1, 5 SV, 0.87 ERA) got the final two outs of the eighth and worked a scoreless ninth for his fifth save of the season.
Tomorrow's doubleheader at Municipal Stadium begins at 1 p.m. with Brock Stassi and Jeremy Cole being the Pack's probable starters.
