Game 1
Fresno State 6, Nevada 3
Saturday, March 11, 2023
Fresno, Calif. - Pete Beiden Field at Bob Bennett Stadium
WP - Ixan Henderson (2-1)
LP - Kade Morris (1-1)
SV - Jack Anker (1)
Game 2
Nevada 5, Fresno State 2
WP - Jason Doktorczyk (2-1)
LP - Jake Dixon (2-2)
SV - Kolby Kmetko (4)
FRESNO, Calif. - Nevada and Fresno State split Saturday's doubleheader, leaving the series in the balance heading into Sunday's 12:05 p.m. rubber game.
Fresno State (7-6, 1-3 MW) captured a 6-3 win in Saturday's opener, before Nevada (8-6, 1-1 MW), behind a dominant start from
Jason Doktorczyk, earned the split with a 5-2 win in the nightcap.
The second game of the day had a brief delay due to rain, but otherwise the Wolf Pack and Bulldogs got both games in without much incident, after Friday's opener was postponed.
Game 1
Fresno State 6, Nevada 3
Nevada was held to just four hits by Fresno State starter Ixan Henderson, only breaking through with a three-run sixth, but it was not enough.
The Pack managed just one hit through the first five innings, and were behind 5-0 before putting a two-out rally together in the sixth. With runners the bases loaded after
Jesse Pierce's walk,
Jeff Bauser was hit by a Henderson pitch, scoring
Nolan Wilson with the Pack's first run.
Taylor Holder singled through the left side, plating
Henry Strmecki with Pierce scoring on a throwing error from the outfield, making it 5-3.
That chased Henderson, but Zach Statzer came on and got
Michael Ball to ground out to end the threat. Henderson would give up just three runs (two earned) on three hits with seven strikeouts to earn his second win of the season.
Jason Anker came on the bottom of the seventh for the Bulldogs, and earned the three-inning save, allowing just one hit and striking out three.
The Bulldogs dealt
Kade Morris his first loss of the season, getting five runs on nine hits from the Pack starter over 5.1 innings. Fresno State scored twice in the second on Payton Allen's two-run single, and Allen struck again with an RBI double in the fourth. Nikoh Mitchell added a two-run triple in the frame to up the Bulldog lead to 5-0.
Game 2
Nevada 5, Fresno State 2
Jason Doktorczyk continued his recent run of form, striking out seven and allowing just three hits over 6.1 scoreless innings to pick up his second win.
Doktorczyk kept the Bulldogs off the board through the first five innings, keeping the game scoreless until the Pack offense broke through in the top of the sixth. In that frame,
Nolan Wilson and
Henry Strmecki got things started with a double and single, respectively, putting runners at second and third with one out.
Wilson would score, and Strmecki advance to third on a balk by Bulldog starter Jake Dixon. That set up
Jesse Pierce's RBi triple, and, after a walk to
Derek Tenney, Pierce came across on a Victor Arreola wild pitch.
Seth Sweet-Chick wrapped te scoring in the inning with an RBI single to left, making it 4-0 Nevada.
Doktorczyk got through a scoreless sixth and got the first out of the seventh before giving way to
Clayton Ray, who closed the frame.
With runners at the corners in the top of the eighth, the Pack got its fifth run as
Jeff Bauser and Tenney executed a double steal, with Tenney stealing home to make it 5-0. The steal highlighted a solid game for Tenney, who went 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored.
Fresno State threatened in the eighth, getting a one-out, two-run double from Tyler Davis off of Pack reliever
Morgan White to make it 5-2. But White settled down and retired the next two batters to squash the rally.
Kolby Kmetko tossed a scoreless ninth to pick up his fourth save.
