RENO, Nev. –  The University of Nevada (27-22, 18-9 MW) baseball team dropped the first game of a three-game Mountain West series 12-7 to San Diego State (36-17, 18-10 MW) at Don Weir Field at Peccole Park tonight.  The Wolf Pack fell to 27-22 overall and 18-9 on the season while the Aztecs improved to 36-17 and 18-10 in conference play.  The MW-leading Pack needs to win one of the final two games of the series from second-place SDSU to clinch the 2018 regular season conference title. 
 
Nevada led 7-3 after five innings but the Aztecs scored the final nine runs of the game to win 12-7.  The Pack led 5-1 after three innings, scoring a single run in the first inning on Grant Fennell's RBI double.  Weston Hatten, Keaton Smith and Joshua Zamora had RBI hits as part of a three-run second inning and it was 4-1.  Zamora's single in the fourth made it 5-1.
 
SDSU scored twice in the top of the fifth but Dillan Shrum's two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth made it 7-3.  The Aztecs got a grand slam from Jordan Verdon in the top of the sixth to tie the score at 7-7 and scored four in the eighth and one in the ninth to win 12-7.
 
Bradley Bonnenfant (0-1) allowed two runs in the sixth inning and was tagged with the loss.  Adrian Mardueno (7-1) earned his seventh win pitching two scoreless innings of relief.
 
Shrum (4-for-4,2R,2RBI,HR) led the Pack with a game-high four hits and drove in two with his fifth home run of the season.  Zamora (2-for-4,R,2RBI), Fennell (2-for-4,R,RBI), Hatten (2-for-4,R,RBI) and Smith (2-for-4,2R,RBI) added two hits each as the Pack totaled 15 in the game. 
 
Verdon (1-for-4,2R,4RBI) finished with a game-high four RBI coming on his 12^th home run of the season.  Chad Bible (3-for-5,R,2RBI) and Dean Nevarez (3-for-6,R,RB) had three hits each as the Aztecs totaled 16 in the game.
 
Friday's game is scheduled for a 6 p.m. first pitch.  Listen to John Ramey will call the SDSU series on 94.1 FM/1450 AM.  The broadcast is also available online at www.NevadaWolfPack.com/audio and is streamed at NevadaWolfPack.tv.
 
Notes: 
Nevada lost just its second MW home game this season falling to 11-2.
Michael Echavia has reached base in a team season-high 29 games. 
Fennell has reached base in the last 28 games.
Shrum and Smith have reached base in the last 15 games.