RENO, Nev. – The Nevada baseball team competed in their first two games of their home series against Air Force on Friday, losing 2-1 in game one and 7-5 in game two.
Friday night's doubleheader saw two very different games from both teams. The first game's highlight was pitching as both teams were held to a combined hit total of under 20. John Byrnes of Air Force pitched five innings, gave up three hits, and only one run. Alejandro Murillo pitched six innings and gave up six hits and one run for the Wolf Pack.
The star of the game for Air Force was Paul Skenes, who went 4-for-4 and tallied the go-ahead solo shot in the top of the ninth. Skenes then entered the game on the mound in the bottom of the ninth to earn the win.
The second game's highlight was on the offense. Matt Clayton hit a two-run home run to start off the game. Nevada's Jacob Stinson would also finish the game with two RBI's, one as a result of a hit by pitch and the other being a sacrifice fly to left field. Dawson Martin would join Clayton in the home run department by hitting his own in the eighth.
Air Force had three different athletes hit RBI's. Gabriel Garcia hit a grand slam in the ninth inning to give the Falcon's the lead. Tommy Gillman would score twice in the game with a RBI-double and a sacrifice groundout. Lastly, Paul Skenes who saw success in game one had an RBI-single to add to his RBI total.
GAME 1
How It Happened
- Air Force would get on the board early in the first inning after Paul Skenes recorded an RBI-single.
-Alejandro Murillo would go five straight innings after the first without letting up a run, throwing three strikeouts in his six inning performance.
-The Wolf Pack would tie the game in the fifth inning with a solo home run by Dawson Martin, this being his first home run with the Pack.
-Skenes from Air Force would hit a home run off of Shane Gustafson to give the Falcons the lead in the top of the ninth.
-Skenes would then go on to pitch the bottom of the ninth and close the game for the Falcons.
GAME 2
How It Happened
-This time, the Wolf Pack got on the board early in the second game after Matt Clayton hit a two-run home run. This would be Clayton's first of the season.
-The Falcons would then tie the game in the span of two innings thanks to Tommy Gillman. In the second inning, Gillman would hit an RBI-double. Then in the fourth inning, Gillman would score again as he hit a RBI groundout to first.
-Jacob Stinson would give the lead back to the Wolf Pack after hitting a sac-fly to left field, this being his seventh RBI on the year.
-Paul Skenes the next inning tied the game back up after hitting an RBI-single to right field.
-Dawson Martin in the bottom of the eighth would give the Pack the lead by hitting a solo home run in the first pitch of his at bat, this not only being his second home run of the double header, but also the season.
-The Falcons would make a comeback in the top of the ninth in result of a grand slam by Gabriel Garcia. That would be Garcia's second home run of the season.
UP NEXT
Nevada and Air Force will play the final game of the three-game series tomorrow with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.
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