Long Beach State 17, Nevada 8
Friday, April 28, 2023
Reno, Nev. - Don Weir Field at Peccole Park

WP - Dalton Ponce (1-0)
LP - Dillon Holliday (1-2)
SV - None

RENO, Nev. - Nevada's hot start was cooled off by the Long Beach State bullpen Friday, as the Wolf Pack's early five-run lead was erased by 14 unanswered Dirtbag runs in a 17-8 loss at Don Weir Field at Peccole Park.

The Pack (16-23) got a two-run double in the first from Josh Catacutan, and a solo shot from Nolan Wilson in the second to highlight an eight-run outburst over the first three innings. Wilson's RBI single in the third had the Pack in control at 8-3.

But Wilson's hit would be the Pack's last for the night. Long Beach State reliever Dalton Ponce, who came on to start the third, allowed just two hits and an unearned run over five innings, and struck out six to pick up his first win of the season.

Ponce retired 14 Wolf Pack batters in a row between Wilson's RBI single in the third and Dawson Martin's two-out walk in the seventh. Over that span, Long Beach State (24-16) chipped away at the Pack's five run lead, ultimately taking the lead for good on Jack Hammond's sixth-inning grand slam. Long Beach State scored twice and loaded the bases against Dillon Holliday, then Hammond sent Holliday's first offering of the at-bat deep and out to left to put the Dirtbags up, 10-8.

Tyler White's RBI single off of Michael Sarhatt started a three-run seventh for Long Beach State which was capped by Eddie Saldivar's RBI double, upping the Dirtbag lead to 13-8.

Holliday allowed six runs over 1.1 innings, falling to 1-2 on the year.

Neither starter made it to the fifth inning Friday. Long Beach State's Graham Osman lasted just two innings, giving up seven runs (six earned) on nine hits, while Nevada's Kade Morris gave up four runs on seven hits over four innings.

Nevada returns to action Saturday at 4:05 p.m., facing Grand Canyon in the second game of the day. Long Beach State and Grand Canyon are scheduled to face off at 1 p.m.