COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Playing in its first set of competition in over a week, the Nevada baseball team split a doubleheader with Air Force on Saturday, losing the first game 6-3, and bouncing back for a 14-7 win in game two.
The Falcons (16-15, 8-9 MW) held the upper hand in game one, holding the Wolf Pack (11-16, 8-9 MW) offense to just five hits. It was a much different story in game two however as the Pack offense exploded for 14 runs on 14 hits, including three home runs. Nevada's 14 runs in game two are the third-most it has scored in a game this season and are the most since it plated 15 also against Air Force back on April 3.
In the second game
Peter Mendazona led the Wolf Pack with a single-game career-high five RBI, all of which came within the first three innings of the game.
Dawson Martin and
Matt Clayton also produced multi-RBI performances as they each recorded three in game two. Nevada combined for three home runs in the afternoon contest, getting one each from
Anthony Flores, Clayton and
Tyler Bosetti.
GAME 1
How It Happened
-Air Force struck for five of its six runs between the third and fourth innings, plating three runs in the third and two in the fourth.
-Nevada got its first run of the game in the top of the fifth on a single from
Marco Valenzuela, and made it a two-run game after scoring two runs in the top of the eighth.
-The Falcons added an extra insurance run in their half of the eighth, and sent the Wolf Pack down in order in the ninth to claim the 6-3 victory.
-Air Force held Nevada to just five hits in the ball game, two of which came from Valenzuela.
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Alejandro Murillo was dealt the loss after he was charged with five earned runs on eight hits, but he did throw a single-game career-high 7.0 innings with five strikeouts in his fifth start of the season.
GAME 2
How It Happened
-Nevada did not waste a lot of time in getting on the board and getting on the board in a big way, scoring four runs in the top of the second.
-With the bases loaded and no one out, Mendazona hit a bases clearing double that put Nevada up 3-0 early on. Later in the inning after a Bosetti triple,
Dario Gomez knocked in Bosetti for the Pack's fourth run of the inning.
-In the third the Wolf Pack got two more runs across, again thanks for Mendazona. After
Brady Hormel singled and Flores reached on a hit by pitch, Mendazona singled to center field scoring both runs and giving Nevada a 5-0 lead.
-Nevada scored one more run in the fourth before exploding for a six-run fifth inning.
-Flores led off the fifth with a solo shot to left field.
-Nevada then scored five of its six runs in the fifth with two outs, getting a two-RBI single from Martin and a three-run home run from Clayton.
-With a 13-3 advantage, the Falcons chipped into the lead by scoring four runs in the sixth to cut the lead down to six. Bosetti led off the seventh with a solo home run to left though to get a run back for the Pack and score its final run of the ball game.
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Jake Jackson earned his first win of the season after going 5.1 innings on the mound.
Shane Gustafson entered in the sixth and threw the remaining 3.2 innings allowing just one hit to earn the save.
-Nevada had five players record multi-hit games, led by three hits apiece from Gomez and Hormel.
UP NEXT
Nevada and Air Force will play the final game of the three-game series tomorrow with first pitch scheduled for 11 a.m. PT.
FOLLOW THE PACK
Stay up-to-date on all the happenings with the Nevada baseball program on social media via Twitter (@NevadaBaseball) and Instagram (@nevadawolfpackbaseball).
