Nevada 9, San Francisco 2
Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024
San Francisco, Calif. - Benedetti Diamond
WP: Easton Marks (1-0)
LP: Blake Shepardson (0-1)

SAN FRANCISCO - Nevada clinched the weekend series at San Francisco Saturday, defeating the Dons, 9-2, behind a strong starting effort from Easton Marks.

Marks went five shutout innings, striking out five and allowing just five hits, to pick up his first win of the season.

Nevada will go for the series sweep in Sunday's finale, set for a 12 p.m. first pitch.

Nevada (4-1) wasted little time staking Marks to an early lead. After an RBI groundout from Bryce Matthews opened the scoring in the top of the first, the Wolf Pack opened it up with three in the third. Nolan Wilson drew a bases-loaded walk to make it 2-0, then Justin Acal doubled the lead to 4-0 by driving in Jesse Pierce and JR Freethy with a base hit.

The Wolf Pack chased USF starter Blake Shepardson after two innings, dropping Shepardson to his first loss of the season as he gave up four runs on two hits with four walks.

The Pack tacked on two more to Marks' support in the top of the sixth, getting back-to-back RBI doubles from Michael Ball and Tyson Heinz. Acal would knock an RBI double of his own in the seventh to make it 7-0.

San Francisco (3-3) got on the board against reliever Zach Garber in the seventh. The Dons loaded the bases with none out before Garber was lifted for Dominic Desch. Desch issued bases-loaded walks to AJ Giuliana and Matty Fung, both runs charged to Garber, before getting an inning-ending double-play ball out of Tyvon Moore.

Heinz hit a solo homer, his first as a member of the Wolf Pack, to lead off the eight, capping a 2-for-4, two-RBI day. Matthews added a sacrifice fly in the ninth to score pinch-runner Josh Catacutan.

Catacutan was running for Nolan Wilson, who went 3-for-4 on the day and came up just a home run shy of the cycle. Acal drove in a team-high three runs on two hits, while Ball was 2-for-5 with an RBI.

Nico Wagner shutout the Dons on just two hits over the final two innings to wrap up the series win.