RENO, Nev. - For the second-straight day against the second-ranked team in the country, Nevada fought back from a late deficit to draw even, only to fall in the final inning. Wednesday at Greater Nevada Field, the Pack used a four-run eighth to tie it up at 8-8 with Oregon State, but fell in the end, 9-8.
The Pack (11-12) has a quick turnaround as it returns to Mountain West play, hosting San Diego State for a three-game series Friday-Sunday at Peccole Park. First pitch for Friday's opener is set for 6 p.m.
Wednesday, Nevada found itself staring down an 8-4 deficit after the Beavers scored five runs over the fifth and sixth innings. The Pack squandered situations with at least one runner in scoring position with less than two outs in both the sixth and seventh innings, including a bases-loaded, one-out chance in the sixth, before capitalizing in the eighth.
With two on and one out against Oregon State's Mitchell Verburg, Pat Caulfield ripped a double to deep left to score
Ryan Jackson and start the rally.
Joshua Zamora followed with a double of his own, this one to left-center, plating
Jacob Stinson and Caulfield to pull the Pack to within one at 8-7. Zamora came across with the tying run a batter later, on
Dario Gomez' single up the middle.
But the rally abruptly ended after
Landon Wallace's single. Gomez was picked off of second base by Verburg, and, following
Matt Clayton's walk, Verburg got the third out as
Jaxon Woodhouse lined out to second.
The Beavers got back in front in the ninth as Wade Meckler doubled with one out, advanced to third on a
Nathan Maas wild pitch, then scored on Jacob Melton's sacrifice fly. Ryan Brown pitched a scoreless ninth for the Beavers, picking up his second save in as many days.
Maas fell to 0-1 with the loss, giving up just the one run over two innings of relief.
Stinson and Jackson each posted four-hit games for the Pack, with Zamora and Gomez each driving in a pair of runs.
Melton drove in three runs for the Beavers, along with Jabin Trosky, who went 3-for-4 on the day.
Nevada jumped out to a two-run lead in the first on an RBI single from Gomez, then a double steal which scored Caulfield. After an Oregon State run in the top half of the second, Nevada got the advantage back to two on Stinson's RBI single.
The Pack's lead was down to one at 4-3 entering the fifth, at which point Oregon State (19-5) its first lead. The Beavers loaded the bases with none out on a single from Travis Bazzana then a pair of walks from Pack pitcher
Boon Fay. Fay then walked Trosky to force Bazzana in with the tying run.
Two batters later, Wade Meckler hit a sacrifice fly to score Greg Fuchs, followed by Melton's two-run double down the line in left to make it 7-4. Oregon State added a run in the sixth to make it 8-4.
