UNLV 9, Nevada 5
Saturday, April 8, 2023
Las Vegas, Nev. - Earl E. Wilson Stadium

WP - Jack Sellinger (2-0)
LP - Kolby Kmetko (0-1)
SV - None

LAS VEGAS - UNLV scored the last seven runs of Saturday's rubber game, dealing the decisive blow with a five-run eighth inning, to defeat Nevada, 9-5.

Nevada (13-17, 4-10 MW) jumped out to a 4-0 lead after three, but UNLV slowly chipped away at the Pack pitching staff. The Rebels scored once in each of the fourth through seventh innings, before going ahead for good with five in the eighth.

Austin Kryszczuk started the inning with a double down the line in left, and came around with the tying run two batters later on Edarian Williams' RBI single off of Kolby Kmetko. Braden Murphy and Paul Myro IV delivered run-scoring doubles, Myro's scoring two, to give UNLV the lead it would not relinquish.

Kmetko was charged with the loss, giving up five runs on six hits over 1.2 innings. For the Rebels (12-17, 7-8 MW), Jack Sellinger picked up the win in relief, holding Nevada hitless over the final two innings.

The contest started out bright for the Wolf Pack. Matt Clayton got the first of his two hits with an RBI single in the first, putting the Pack up 1-0. In the third, and RBI single from Nolan Wilson and a run-scoring triple by Billy Ham highlighted a three-run frame, putting the Pack in front, 4-0.

But the Nevada offense ground to a halt after Nolan Wilson's sacrifice fly made it 5-1 in the fifth. The Pack managed just one baserunner over the final four innings, that coming on Clayton's one-out double in the seventh.

Murphy went 4-for-5 with an RBI to pace UNLV, which had three additional players each post a three-hit game. Overall, the Rebels had 17 hits on the day.

Nevada heads to the Bay Area for a Monday night contest at California, with first pitch set for 6:05 p.m. The Pack then returns to Reno to host Air Force from Friday-Sunday at Don Weir Field at Peccole Park.