SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – Scoring early and often was the key for the Nevada baseball team in a 12-6 series finale win at Cal Poly on Monday, giving the Wolf Pack the series win.
After suffering defeat in game one of this four-game series on Friday, the Wolf Pack (3-1) turned the tide and claimed victory in the last three games over the Mustangs (1-3). During these last three games the Pack outscored its opponent by a 25-15 margin, scoring a season-high 12 runs today.
The bats came alive in Monday's finale as Nevada recorded 13 hits in the ballgame for the second straight day. The difference in today's offensive showing though was that the Wolf Pack registered six extra base hits, including three homeruns.
Dillan Shrum connected on the Pack's first long ball of the season in the bottom of the first, an opposite field shot to right center that gave Nevada an early 1-0 lead.
The Wolf Pack's big offensive inning came in the fourth when it scored four runs to jump out to a 9-3 lead through 4.5 innings.
Joshua Zamora and
Tyler Bosetti each found their way onto the base paths to lead off the fourth and were put into scoring positon on a deep flyout by Shrum and a stolen base from Bosetti.
Matt Clayton then drove both of them in to score on his first career triple. Newcomer
Dario Gomez then drove in himself and Clayton on a 2-run shot to left field, his first Division I homerun.
Nevada plated one more in the fifth and added two insurance runs in the top of the ninth on a 2-run homer down the left field line from
Anthony Flores, the first long ball of his career. Those extra insurance runs proved to not be needed but it did give the Wolf Pack some breathing room after the Mustangs had closed the gap in their half of the seventh, scoring three runs to cut the deficit to 10-6. Cal Poly threatened again on offense in the bottom of the eighth, loading the bases with two outs.
Shane Gustafson caught the next Mustangs batter looking though to end the threat and send the game into the ninth. In the bottom of the ninth with the Pack up by six, Cal Poly led off the frame with a double, but could not manage to get that runner home with three consecutive outs to end the game.
Gomez went 3-for-5 in Monday's game driving in two and scoring three runs. He was a triple shy of hitting for the cycle. Freshman
Jacob Stinson also produced a three-hit game as he finished 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored. Newcomer
Peter Mendazona also had a strong showing at the plate going 2-for-3 with an RBI and two walks. On the pitching side of things Nevada used six pitchers in the game with
Shane O'Malley going the furthest at 2.1 innings pitched as today's starter.
Kade Morris earned the win after tossing 2.0 innings and allowing just one hit.
Nevada will begin Mountain West play this weekend as it travels to Las Vegas to face UNLV in a three-game series. The Wolf Pack and Rebels will play a doubleheader on Saturday and a single game to close the series on Sunday.
