Nevada 14, Sacramento State 8
Tuesday, May 7, 2024
Sacramento, Calif. - John Smith Field

WP: Eddie Tierney (2-1)
LP: Stockton (0-3)

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Jackson Waller's fourth-inning grand slam highlighted Nevada's big night at the plate Tuesday, as the Wolf Pack picked up a 14-8 victory at Sacramento State.

Waller would finish the night just a triple shy of the cycle, going 4-for-4 with six RBIs. He would miss the cycle by mere feet, being thrown out at third after trying to stretch his double into the right-field corner in the top of the ninth.

Jake Harvey also posted a three-hit night, driving in a run and scoring twice.

Trailing 4-1 after two innings, Nevada (21-23) went on to score the next 12 runs of the contest, taking control with a nine-run lead. Jesse Pierce's RBI single in the third started the run, and Waller scored on a throwing error to make it 4-3.

After Waller's grand slam off of Hornet reliever Bryce Stockton put the Pack ahead, 7-4, in the fourth, Nevada broke it open with a five-run fifth. Derek Tenney opened the scoring with a two-run shot to left, with an RBI double from JR Freethy and a run-scoring single from Waller making it 11-4. Pierce would cap the frame with a sacrifice fly, plating Waller.

Nolan Wilson added an RBI groundout in the seventh to make it 13-5.

Eddie Tierney stemmed the bleeding for the Pack after Sacramento State (23-27) scored twice in each of the first and second innings. Tierney picked up his second win, striking out four Hornet batters and allowing just one hit over 2.1 innings of scoreless work.

Stockton took the loss for the Hornets, giving up Waller's grand slam in the fourth.

The Hornets made it interesting with four runs in the bottom of the seventh. Walks to Jorge Bojorquez and Jaxon Byrd followed by a single from Cameron Sewell off of Clayton Ray loaded the bases with none out. Ryan Christiansen drew a walk to force in a run, which brought Ethan O'Neal in for Ray.

The Pack caught a break as Harvey recovered from a pitch that got away, tossing to O'Neal covering home to get Byrd for the first out. After a walk reloaded the bases, Gunner Gouldsmith drove in two with a single to left, and a Brett Ott sacrifice fly brought in another run to make it 13-8. But O'Neal ended the frame with a strikeout of Ethan Harding.

O'Neal worked a scoreless eighth and Ian Hughes finished off the ninth to wrap up the win.

Nevada returns to Mountain West play this weekend. The Wolf Pack, just a game out of first place with six conference games remaining, visits New Mexico, one of the two teams in first place, for a three-game set beginning Friday at 5 p.m. PT.