Sacramento State 21, Nevada 9
Tuesday, March 19, 2024
Sacramento, Calif. - John Smith Field

WP: Noah Lucchesi (1-1)
LP: Kyle Becker (0-2)

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Sacramento State scored 10 times in the second inning of Tuesday's midweek contest against Nevada, sending the Wolf Pack to a 21-9 loss.

Nevada (8-10) returns to Mountain West play this weekend, hosting UNLV for a three-game series at Don Weir Field at Peccole Park beginning Friday at 6:05 p.m.

Tuesday, things opened brightly for the Wolf Pack prior to Sacramento State's decisive half of the second. Michael Ball homered in each of the first two innings, including a leadoff solo shot in the first, as Nevada jumped on Hornet starter Sean Carey and reliever Jasper Nelson for a 5-0 lead.

But things turned quickly in the bottom half of the second. Matt Masciangelo got the Hornets (9-11) on the board with a leadoff home run, then, with one out, Wolf Pack starter Easton Marks ran into control issues, hitting two batters and walking Brett Ott to load the bases. A walk to Cameron Sewell forced in a run, and brought on Kyle Becker in relief of Marks.

Becker got the second out of the inning, getting a Gunner Gouldsmith fly ball, which brought in a third Sacramento State run. But Cesar Valero drove in two with a game-tying double down the line in left, and came in on Elie Kligman's base hit up the middle.

Two more walks loaded the bases once again, and Jose Ruiz capped the Hornets' scoring in the frame with a grand slam to center.

Nevada closed to within three in the third, behind a sacrifice fly from Jackson Waller and an RBI single from Jake Harvey, but Sacramento State's bats stayed hot, as the Hornets put up five runs in the bottom half to cushion its lead.

Ball's 3-for-5 night led four Wolf Pack players with multi-hit games, as he homered twice, doubled, and drove in three runs. Harvey and Taylor Holder each had two hits and drove in a run, while JR Freethy was 2-for-5.

Ruiz and Kligman each had four RBIs to lead Sacramento State, while Kligman and Gouldsmith each had three hits.