Nevada 7, San Francisco 6
Friday, March 7, 2025
San Francisco, Calif. - Benedetti Diamond

SAN FRANCISCO - Michael Ball's ninth-inning grand slam was enough to overcome a late three-run deficit as Nevada took the opening game of a road series at San Francisco with a 7-6 win Friday.

The Wolf Pack (8-5), winners of four-straight now, wasted little time with the heroics in the ninth. Taylor Holder, Jackson Waller, and Jake Harvey each singled to load the bases with none out, setting up Ball smacking a 2-1 Dylan Brown offering deep and out to left for the grand slam, putting Nevada in front 7-6.

Closer Ethan O'Neal came on in the ninth and promptly struck out the side to pick up his second save of the season.

Thanks to a two-run single by Sean Yamaguchi in the third, Nevada appeared in control with a 3-1 lead up until the San Francisco sixth. The Dons capitalized on three walks by Nevada starter Peyton Fosher, as pinch-hitter Eddison Esquivel hit a grand slam of his own to put San Francisco up 5-3.

The Dons (7-7) picked up an unearned run in the seventh to go up 6-3.

Wolf Pack reliever Dominic Desch improved to 3-0 with his third win in relief this season. Desch gave up just one hit and an unearned run over two innings of relief before turning it over to O'Neal for the ninth. Starter Peyton Fosher struck out three and was charged with four earned runs (five total) on three hits over six innings.

For the Dons, Brown fell to 0-2 with the loss.

Ball was one of four Wolf Pack batters with two hits on the night, with the other three being the Pack's 7 through 9 hitters. Holder, Waller, and Harvey went a combined 6-for-11 with four runs scored on the night.

The teams return to action at Benedetti Diamond at 1 p.m. Saturday.