Nevada 7, Fresno State 5
Friday, May 2, 2025
Reno, Nev. - Don Weir Field at Peccole Park

WP: Peyton Fosher (4-4)
LP: Jack Anker (7-4)
SV: Ethan O'Neal (8)

RENO, Nev. - Nevada jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead over Fresno State Friday night, and the Wolf Pack bullpen held off a Bulldog rally to preserve a series-opening 7-5 win at Don Weir Field at Peccole Park.

Murf Gray hit a fifth-inning grand slam as the Bulldogs cut it to two runs at 6-4, but Wolf Pack starter Peyton Fosher was able to close his outing by getting Justin Stransky to ground out.

Fosher evened his record at 4-4 with the win, going six innings and giving up just the Gray grand slam while striking out eight.

From there, he turned it over to the bullpen. Logan Soloman gave up just a two-out single to Owen Faust over his two scoreless frames, then, after Michael Ball delivered an insurance run with an RBI single in the bottom of the eighth, Ethan O'Neal overcame a leadoff home run by Cayden Munster to pick up his eighth save.

Nevada (26-19, 13-9 MW) jumped on Fresno State starter Jack Anker right away in the first. Junhyuk Kwon followed Ball's one-out single with a double, putting two in scoring position for Sean Yamaguchi, who opened the scoring with a single to center to plate Ball.

Then a bonus for the Pack on the night led to its second run. Fresno State committed the first of its three errors on the night, as Eddie Saldivar whiffed on Billy Ham's grounder, allowing Kwon to score. Yamaguchi, who advanced to third on the error, came across on Jayce Dobie's groundout to make it a 3-0 lead in the first.

Dobie drove in Billy Ham with a bloop double to left in the third, then came home on another Bulldog gaffe. Dobie was prepared to stop at third on Jackson Waller's single to right, but when rightfielder Bobby Blandford booted the ball, he raced home for the 5-0 lead.

A third error from Fresno State (23-22, 15-7 MW) led to Nevada's sixth run. In the fourth, Saldivar made his second error of the game, fielding a double-play ball but sending his flip to second wide, allowing Ball to reach second safely. Two batters later, Ball would make it 6-0, scoring on Billy Ham's slow bouncer to short.

Anker fell to 7-4, giving up six runs (four earned) on nine hits over six innings.

Ball went 3-for-5 with an RBI to lead Nevada on the night, while Dobie and Ham each drove in a pair of runs.

Nevada will go for the series win Saturday as the teams return to the field for a 2:05 p.m. start.