Nevada 10, Washington State 5
Friday, April 18, 2025
Pullman, Wash. - Bailey-Brayton Field

WP: Ethan O'Neal (1-2)
LP: Rylan Haider (2-1)

PULLMAN, Wash. - Another big ninth inning for Nevada in Pullman led the Wolf Pack to a come-from-behind, series-clinching 10-5 victory over Washington State Friday.

The Wolf Pack (22-16, 10-7 MW) will try to make it six in a row against the Cougars this season Saturday, with the finale set for a 12:05 p.m. first pitch.

Friday's comeback started with an outstanding defensive play from Taylor Holder in the bottom of the eighth. With two out and Washington State up 5-4, Lance Johnstone attempted to score from second with a key insurance run on Ollie Obenour's single to left, but Holder played the one-hop perfectly and fired a dart to Jake Harvey, who had plenty of time to make the tag on Johnstone to end the frame and keep the deficit at a run.

Facing Cougar closer Rylan Haider in the ninth, Nevada got three-straight one-out singles to load the bases. Facing an 0-2 count, Jayce Dobie laced a single to left to plate Harvey with the tying run, then Billy Ham patiently took a 3-1 pitch outside for the go-ahead walk.

That just opened the floodgates in the Wolf Pack's six-run ninth, as Jackson Waller legged out a double-play ball to score Dobie to make it 7-5. Michael Ball followed two batters later with a two-run double to left, and Holder capped the scoring by plating Ball with a single to left.

Ethan O'Neal got the final two outs of the eighth, then worked a scoreless ninth for his first win of the season. Haider's blown save cost him his first loss of the season, falling to 2-1 as he gave up six runs on six hits in two innings.

Nevada staged the beginning of its comeback in the top of the eighth. Sean Yamaguchi and Dobie opened the frame with walks, and Ham sliced an RBI single to left off of reliever Jake Robinson to plate Yamaguchi and make it 5-3. Two batters later, Ball's fly ball to center was deep enough for Dobie to tag and score, cutting the deficit to one at 5-4.

Nevada started the game fast, as Junhyuk Kwon and Sean Yamaguchi hit back-to-back homers with one out in the first for a 2-0 lead.

Nevada starter Alessandro Castro stranded a Cougar baserunner in scoring position in each of the third and fourth innings to maintain the lead, but was not so fortunate in the fifth. Castro was chased after a leadoff single from Kyler Northrop, and with runners at first and second and two out against reliever Logan Saloman, Washington State (14-23, 7-10 MW) got back-to-back RBI singles from Will Cresswell and Ollie Obenour to tie it up at 2-2.

An inning later, Gavin Roy's one-out RBI single gave Washington State a 3-2 lead before Saloman and Caedon Kottinger closed the frame.

Washington State upped its lead to 5-2 on Griffin Myers' two-out, two-run double in the seventh. Nevada, however, staged a comeback in the top of the eighth. Sean Yamaguchi and Jayce Dobie opened the frame with walks, and Billy Ham sliced an RBI single to left off of reliever Jake Robinson to plate Yamaguchi and make it 5-3. Two batters later, Michael Ball's fly ball to center was deep enough for Dobie to tag and score, cutting the deficit to one at 5-4.

Cougar starter Griffin Smith settled in after the first-inning homers from Kwon and Yamaguchi, not giving up another run as he went 6.1 innings and struck out three despite getting a no-decision.

Yamaguchi was 3-for-3 with the homer and two walks to lead Nevada Friday, while Ham went 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Ball drove in three runs, Kwon hit his solo homer, and Dobie was 2-for-4 with an RBI.

Myers led Washington State with two RBIs, while Obenour was one of three Cougars with two hits on the day.