UC San Diego 7, Nevada 6
Monday, March 11, 2024
La Jolla, Calif. - Triton Ballpark

WP: Julian Custer (1-1)
LP: Kyle Becker (0-1)
SV: Izaak Martinez (4)

LA JOLLA, Calif. - Nevada's season-opening stretch of 14 games on the road finally came to a close Monday night with a 7-6 loss at UC San Diego.

The Wolf Pack (6-8) will play its first games at Peccole Park this weekend, beginning Friday at 6:05 p.m. as it opens a three-game set against Mountain West opponent New Mexico.

Monday night, the Wolf Pack and Tritons (13-3) slugged it out over the first five innings, trading the lead four times. But it would be UC San Diego grabbing the final advantage, as Colton Lomanto's pinch-hit solo home run in the bottom of the fifth proved the difference.

Neither team held the lead for more than an inning until UC San Diego preserved its one-run advantage for the final four innings. The Tritons took the first lead with three runs in the first behind RBI singles from Bradlee Preap and Doyle Kane, and a run-scoring fielder's choice from Patrick Hackworth.

Nevada rallied with four runs in the second, all coming with two outs. Justin Acal was hit by a pitch to keep the inning alive, and Derek Tenney slammed a homer to left to cut the deficit to one at 3-2. Jackson Waller singled and stole second, and after a Jake Harvey walk, Michael Ball laced a double off the wall in left to bring Waller and Harvey around for the 4-3 lead.

Tenney and Waller each had two hits to lead the Wolf Pack Monday. Ball matched Tenney's team-high two RBIs.

Preap, who went 3-for-5 with four RBIs on the night, hit a two-run homer off of Nevada starter Easton Marks in the bottom of the third to yo-yo the lead back in favor of the Tritons at 5-4.

The Pack quickly loaded the bases with one out in the top of the fourth, and JR Freethy drove in the tying run with a single. Taylor Holder followed with a sacrifice fly, plating Harvey to put Nevada back in front, 6-5.

Kyle Becker took over for Marks to start the fourth. An error by Becker led to an RBI double from Matt Halbach to tie things up at 6-6. Becker would be on the mound for Lomanto's homer in the fifth, and would take the loss, giving up two runs (one earned) over two innings.

Julian Custer, who came in to get the final out of the top of the fourth, ended up going 3.1 innings of scoreless work to pick up his first win, giving up just two hits. Over the final two innings, three Triton relievers held the Pack without a hit, with Izaak Martinez working a 1-2-3 ninth to pick up his fourth save.

Zach Garber, Eddie Tierney, and Kolby Kmetko each worked a scoreless inning from the sixth on, with Tierney striking out the side in the seventh.

Marks was charged with five runs on four hits with four walks and four strikeouts over the first three innings.