Nevada 10, UNLV 5
Sunday, March 24, 2024
Reno, Nev. - Don Weir Field at Peccole Park

WP: Peyton Fosher (2-1)
LP: Noah Carabajal (1-2)

RENO, Nev. - Nevada pounded out 16 hits in Sunday's Silver State Series presented by America First Credit Union weekend finale, capturing its third-straight Mountain West series with a 10-5 rout of UNLV at Don Weir Field at Peccole Park.

Nevada has now taken its first three series of Mountain West play for the first time since 2018, when it opened conference play with six series wins in a row.

The Wolf Pack (10-11, 6-3 MW) put up five runs in the bottom of the first, powered by a two-run double from Nolan Wilson and an RBI single by Justin Acal, and never looked back.

It was more than enough for Nevada starter Peyton Fosher, who held UNLV (13-10, 3-6 MW) scoreless over the first five innings before running into his only real trouble of the day in the sixth. There, the Rebels put two runners on with one out, with Zach Garber coming on for Fosher. Garber gave up doubles to Kade Higgins and Austin Kryszczuk, which cut the Nevada lead to 5-3, before Dominic Desch came in and struck out Alex Pimentel to end the threat.

It ended Fosher's winning outing at 5.1 innings, allowing just two runs on four hits with two strikeouts.

The Wolf Pack nullified the Rebel rally right away, however, putting up three runs of its own in the bottom half. Justin Acal and Derek Tenney led off with singles, and a wild pitch moved Tenney to second. With one out, Jesse Pierce doubled to the wall in left-center to get the Nevada lead to four at 7-3. After another wild pitch moved Pierce to third, he came in on Michael Ball's single up the middle, upping the lead to 8-3.

Bryce Matthews hit a two-run homer in the eighth to make it 10-3, and cap the Wolf Pack scoring. UNLV scored twice in the eighth, and loaded the bases with two away, but Ethan O'Neal came on and ended the inning as Nolan Wilson made a nice catch of Rylan Charles' sinking liner in right.

O'Neal would work a scoreless ninth to earn his first save.

Acal, Ball, and Taylor Holder each had three hits to pace Nevada, with Acal going 3-for-3 with a walk. Pierce was 2-for-4 with two RBIs, while Matthews also drove in two.