UC Riverside 11, Nevada 7
Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024
Riverside, Calif. - Riverside Sports Complex
WP: Tyler Gebb (1-0)
LP: Eddie Tierney (0-1)

RENO, Nev. - Nevada fought back to twice take a lead Saturday night against UC Riverside, but the Highlanders' five-run sixth inning proved too much to overcome. The Wolf Pack dropped an 11-7 decision and will go for the series victory in Sunday's 1 p.m. rubber game.

The Pack (1-1) scored thrice with two out in the sixth, taking advantage of a Highlander error to add a pair of unearned runs. Michael Ball scored the tying run on the error, then Tyson Heinz drove Taylor Holder in from second with a base hit up the middle to put Nevada in front, 7-6.

But the advantage would be short-lived. UC Riverside quickly loaded the bases against reliever Eddie Tierney, then tied the game as Jayden Lopez came across on a wild pitch. Tierney gave way to Theo Millas, who was met with two-run doubles from Rudy Rodriguez IV and Anthony Mata which gave the Highlanders the four-run lead.

Tierney would take the loss for the Pack, charged with four runs over the four batters he faced.

Nevada managed just two-out singles in the eighth and ninth innings against UCR relievers Tyler Gebb and Cameron Garber, with Gebb picking up the win giving up just one hit over two and one-third innings of work.

The Pack climbed out of an early two-run hole with a Michael Ball sacrifice fly in the second, and back-to-back homers from Jesse Pierce and JR Freethy in the third. Freethy's solo shot highlighted a 3-for-5, two-RBI day, while Ball posted two hits and two RBIs at the plate.

But Rodriguez, who went 2-for-4 with four RBIs for the Highlanders, returned the lead to UCR with a two-out, two-run single off of Pack starter Easton Marks. Mata, who led off the fourth inning with a solo homer, also drove in four runs, going 3-for-5.

Marks gave up five runs on six hits over 3.1 innings in his first start for Nevada, while UCR starter Jake Gebb went 5.2 innings, giving up 10 hits and seven runs, five earned.