San Francisco 7, Nevada 6
Saturday, March 8, 2025
San Francisco, Calif. - Benedetti Diamond

WP: Kolby Calia (1-1)
LP: Caedon Kottinger (0-1)
SV: Quentin Pohorski (2)

SAN FRANCISCO - Nevada and San Francisco combined to hit five home runs Saturday at Benedetti Diamond, but it was the Dons getting a game-tying two-run shot in the seventh, then a solo winner in the eighth to even the weekend series with a 7-6 victory.

The teams return to Benedetti Diamond for Sunday's rubber game, set for a 1 p.m. first pitch.

Nevada (8-6) could also rue missed chances at the plate. The Wolf Pack stranded 17 runners in the contest, including leaving the bases loaded in each of the third, fourth, and fifth innings.

Jayce Dobie hit a three-run homer in the first for a quick 3-0 Wolf Pack lead, then the Pack was poised to blow it open in the third, loading the bases with just one out. But Dons starter Joe Soberon struck out Jackson Waller and Jake Harvey to end the threat.

San Francisco (8-7), which scored six of its seven runs via home run Saturday, tied it up against Wolf Pack starter Alessandro Castro on Patrick Keighran's three-run homer, and took the lead on Jordan Lewis' solo shot in the next at-bat.

Michael Ball tied it up for Nevada with a solo shot leading off the fourth, and again the Wolf Pack looked poised to open up a big lead as singles from Sean Yamaguchi and Junhyuk Kwon followed by a walk to Dobie loaded the bases with none out. But the Pack could only come away with one run, that coming on a slow tapper to first by Billy Ham which scored Yamaguchi for the 5-4 lead. Jacob Doyle struck out, and, after Taylor Holder was hit by a pitch to reload the bases, Waller grounded out to third to end the frame.

Kwon doubled to right with one out in the fifth to drive in Harvey to give the Pack a two-run lead, and two batters later Ham was plunked to load the bases with two out. But, again, Nevada missed a chance to build a cushion as reliever Gabriel Barrett got Doyle to ground to third.

Logan Saloman threw strong middle relief for the Pack, going three scoreless with just two hits allowed before turning it over to Eddie Tierney for the seventh. But San Francisco took advantage on Kody Watanabe's one-out, game-tying homer. And, an inning later, Trevor Harmon's solo shot off of Caedon Kottinger put the Dons in the lead for good at 7-6.

Kottinger fell to 0-1 with the loss, giving up just the solo homer over 1.2 innings of relief.

Nevada put two on in both the seventh and eighth innings, but came away empty-handed each time as Dons reliever Kolby Calia worked his way out of each jam for his first win. Quentin Pohorski handled the ninth for his second save.

Four Wolf Pack batters had two hits apiece, led by Dobie's three-run homer and Ball's second home run of the series.