Reno, NV -  The Nevada Wolf Pack baseball team took on the Fresno State Bulldogs in a series that had serious implications on the Western Athletic Conference standings this weekend at Peccole Park.  The Wolf Pack came in on a four game winning streak and looked to keep the momentum going against the Bulldogs who were looking to gain ground on first place New Mexico State.

Game One

With local product Chris Garcia on the hill for Nevada, the Pack were in good position to compete with Fresno, but the Bulldogs came out swinging and took a 3-0 lead after one.  The Wolf Pack would battle back though.

The Silver and Blue tied things up in the third when a Shaun Kort RBI single was followed by an RBI ground out by Nick Melino.  That was all the offense that Nevada would generate under the bright lights of Peccole Park on Friday night, but it was great to see the field lit up for the opener of the important WAC matchup.

Fresno State had no problem generating offense in the opener as the top half of their lineup all finished the opener with multiple hits as the Bulldogs would hold on for the 8-3 victory.  With the loss Chris Garcia fell to 4-2 on the year giving up six runs on eight hits in game one.

Game Two

In game two of Saturday’s doubleheader it was a completely different story, as the Wolf Pack took it to the Bulldogs with a 17-6 thumping on Fresno State in a game that was shortened by a ten-run rule. The Pack plated ten runs in the sixth inning to take a 17-3 lead before starter Tom Jameson gave up 3 runs in the top of the seventh.  Despite the final three runs, Jameson tossed a gem for Nevada.

All-WAC first baseman Shaun Kort was the offensive star of the day for the Pack as he went a perfect five for five with five RBI’s and four runs scored and two home runs in game one of Saturday afternoon’s doubleheader.

Wolf Pack star Brock Stassi also had a big day in game one going two for three with three runs scored and two RBI’s with a home run, his seventh of the year.  Also going deep for the Pack was Brian Barnett, hitting his team leading ninth home run of the year.

The storyline in this game was a huge sixth inning for Nevada that resulted in ten runs being scored before Fresno could get an out.  The big inning allowed the first game to be called after the seventh because the Wolf Pack had a ten run lead which brought the mercy rule into effect.

Game Three

After splitting the first two games, Nevada took it to Fresno State early in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader by plating three runs in the first inning.  Kevin Rodland led off with a single to center and was advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Westley Moss.  Brock Stassi followed a Shaun Kort walk with an RBI double to the gap in left-center field.  The hot bats continued for Nevada when Nick Melino hit a two-RBI double to the gap in right to give Nevada a 3-0 lead after one inning.

Nevada starting pitcher Jeremy Cole had good control early getting three strikeouts through two innings but allowed a run to score when Trent Garrison doubled down the left field line to score Jordan Ribera who reached on a double of his own as Fresno made it a 3-1 game.

The Silver and Blue struck right back in the bottom half of the inning when Kevin Rodland hit a two-run blast over the Ryan Church poster on the left field fence.  The homer was followed by a single, a walk and consecutive base hits as the Silver and Blue jumped out to an 8-1 lead after two.

Nevada’s hot hitting would lead them to their second consecutive run-rule game of the series, all coming in Saturday’s doubleheader, as the Pack took a 14-4 lead into the seventh inning as Brock Stassi led the way by going four for four with four RBI’s and three runs scored.

Pitching was also a big part of the doubleheader sweep on Saturday as Jeremy Cole followed Tom Jameson’s opening performance with a seven inning gem in which he gave up only six hits and three earned runs while striking out three on only 82 pitches.

In 12 innings of batting on Saturday, Nevada scored thirty one runs on thirty six hits, forcing the Bulldogs into a mercy rule in both games.

Game Four

The series finale got off to a slow start with two scoreless innings but things would pick up when Fresno State’s Danny Muno, WAC Preseason Player of the Year, hit a two-run home run that was followed by a solo home run by Jordan Ribera.  The solo shot gave Fresno a 3-0 lead after three.

Nevada must be happy that this was the final game of the series because that meant that Ribera would be leaving town.  The Fresno first baseman had a weekend to remember, hitting five home runs in four games while going 10-16 on the weekend (.625).

Fresno would add to their lead during a five-run fifth inning.  The remarkable part of the inning was that the five runs came on only one hit.  The combination of two errors and three walks resulted in the five run inning for the Bulldogs.

The lone bright spot for Nevada was Brian Barnett, who hit his team leading tenth home run of the season.  Barnett’s home run was followed by a solo home run by second baseman Cullen Mahoney.  The Silver and Blue failed to produce beyond the home runs and went on to lose 9-3.

Taking the loss for Nevada was Brock Stassi who fell to 5-4 on the year.  Stassi pitched five innings and gave up five hits and five earned runs while striking out three.   With the loss Nevada dropped to 22-15-1 on the year and will head to Honolulu for a four game series with Hawaii next weekend.