Nevada 8, UNLV 2
Friday, April 7, 2023
Las Vegas, Nev. - Earl E. Wilson Stadium

WP - Kade Morris (3-3)
LP - Noah Beal (1-3)
SV - None

LAS VEGAS - Nevada broke out with a five-run sixth inning Friday, and the crooked number held up in the Wolf Pack's 8-2 series-evening victory over UNLV.

Las Vegas native Jesse Pierce put things beyond doubt with a three-run blast in the eighth, his fifth homer of the season. Pierce went 2-for-5 with three RBIs on the night.

The teams return to Earl E. Wilson Stadium Saturday at 12:05 p.m., with the series on the line.

The Pack (13-16, 4-9 MW) had been held to five hits over 5.2 innings by UNLV starter Noah Beal before capitalizing on a two-out throwing error from shortstop Paul Myro IV. Myro's throw short-hopped Kade Higgins at first, allowing a hustling Nolan Wilson to reach safely.

A single from another Las Vegas native, Billy Ham, kept the inning alive, and Jeff Bauser got the Pack on the board with a double to score Wilson and chase Beal. After reliever Jack Sellinger beaned Mason Hirata to load the bases, Henry Strmecki got a nice inside-out swing on a pitch for a single to right, plating Ham and Bauser for the 3-2 lead.

JR Freethy capped the bonus-life rally by lacing a double deep to left-center, scoring Hirata and Strmecki to make it 5-2.

Kade Morris ran with the lead, setting the Rebels down in order in the sixth, then stranding two in the seventh by getting Santino Panaro to ground to second.

Morris evened his record at 3-3 with the win, striking out six and allowing just two runs (one earned) over five hits on the night. The junior righty recovered from an unearned run in the first and another run in the second to hold the Rebels (11-17,  scoreless over his final five frames.

After Clayton Ray got the first out of the eighth, Morgan White got the final five outs to wrap up the win.

Four Wolf Pack batters had a two-hit game, led by Pierce. Henry Strmecki was 2-for-4 with two RBIs.