For Jameson, a Reno native and former Reno High School standout, he joins an illustrious group of former Pack players to earn Freshmen All-America honors since the 2000 season, joining Darrell Rasner (2000), Chris Dickerson (2001), Mateo Miramontes (2001), Brett Hayes (2003), Shaun Kort (2007) and Nick Melino (2009).

Jameson went 6-1 with two saves this past season and posted a 3.84 ERA helping the Pack to 36-22-1 record. He made 15 appearances with nine being starts and tossed the only 9-inning complete game by a Pack pitcher.  In 65.2 innings pitched he allowed 74 hits and struck out 30.

This award comes just weeks after being named to the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) All-Tournament team where he almost stole the show by pitching nearly eight innings of perfect baseball. It has almost become an annual spot for a Nevada Wolf Pack player on the Louisville Slugger freshman team as Coach Gary Powers sent his seventh player since 2000 to the Louisville team.

Jameson was well groomed for his college career as he played for local legend Pete Savage at Reno high.  It will be interesting to see how Jameson’s role will develop next season with the Pack losing their ace, Chris Garcia, and their closer, Tyler Graham, who was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 22^nd round of the Major League Baseball (MLB) draft on Tuesday.

Moss was Nevada's first player taken in the 2010 MLB Draft

All in all, Nevada has had four players drafted as of Wednesday night.  Senior Westely Moss was the first Nevada player drafted as he went in the 16^th round to the Arizona Diamondbacks.  Six rounds later, Graham, a hard-throwing right-handed closer, came off the board when the Royals selected him as day two of the draft came to a close.

On day three, Nevada had two more names called as shortstop Kevin Rodland was drafted in the 34^th round by the Texas Rangers.  WAC Pitcher of the Year Brock Stassi was selected in the 44^th round by the Cleveland Indians.  Stassi, a two-way standout, was announced as a left-handed pitcher by the Tribe.

Unlike the first game between the Pack and the Spartans, Nevada led for nearly the entire game.  However, the Pack gave up two late leads—-one in the ninth inning and one in the tenth inning—-and lost to the Spartans in extra innings 7-6 in what turns out to be a season ending loss at the Western Athletic Conference tournament in Mesa, Arizona.

“Today we experienced the highs that bring tears of joy and right now the tears are something completely different,” said Nevada Head Coach Gary Powers on the rollercoaster day for the Wolf Pack.

The Pack got on the board in the second with a pair of unearned runs as Brian Barnett and Nick Melino scored to give the Pack an early 2-0 lead with senior southpaw and Sparks native Chris Garcia on the hill for Nevada.

Garcia received more support from Melino whose single to right field in the top of the third scored Game One hero Cullen Mahoney and shortstop Kevin Rodland to put the Silver and Blue up 4-0.

San Jose cut the lead in half in the bottom half of the inning as Jason Martin and Tim Quiery scored on back to back hits for the Spartans to make it a 4-2 game after three.  San Jose would tie it in the fifth as Jesse Rasner came in for relief of Garcia.

Garcia gave up a leadoff walk followed by a double to give the Spartans runners on second and third with nobody out.  San Jose sacrificed to second base scoring a run and Rasner gave up a sacrifice fly to Karson Klauer that scored Martin who tied the game at four.

Cullen Mahoney came up with a big hit in the top of the sixth as he singled to right field and scored Kevin Rodland.  The clutch hitting of Mahoney put the Pack in position to close this one out as the true freshman was ready to assume the hero role twice in one day with Nevada leading 5-4.

With an opportunity to win its second 5-4 game of the day the Wolf Pack bullpen could not get the job done as Jesse Rasner gave up the tying solo home run to Zack Jones in the bottom of the ninth with nobody out.  Coach Powers pulled Rasner in favor of a lefty versus lefty matchup as he called Mat Keplinger out of the bullpen to get the first out.  Keplinger gave up a single and was pulled for closer Tyler Graham.

Graham got the first out right away as San Jose executed a sacrifice bunt to get a runner in scoring position with two outs in the bottom of the ninth but Graham would not allow that run to score as he struck out Spartan third baseman Nick Borg to get out of the jam and force extra innings.

Pack third baseman Garrett Yrigoyen led off with a walk and stole second on a 1-2 count to Carlos Escobar as the throw to second was deflected into right field off shortstop Michael Reiling’s glove, who was a defensive replacement to start the inning, allowing Yrigoyen to advance to third with nobody out.

The Pack were in position to strike in the extra frame of the elimination game  as San Jose loaded the bases with nobody out as Shaun Kort stepped to the plate hoping to pull a Kurt Gibson.  Kort rolled an ankle in the first game and was supposed to be unavailable for this one but with nobody out and the bases loaded in extra innings Kort could not be kept in the dugout and limped to the plate.

Unfortunately Kort lined out as he hit a laser to second base for the first out of the inning as he pinch hit for fellow senior Westely Moss.  Shortstop Kevin Rodland did his best to make sure his fellow seniors would not be playing their last game as he hit a line drive to left field giving the Pack a 6-5 lead.

With the bases loaded and one out the Pack failed to extend their lead as they left them loaded with Graham heading back out to the hill looking to close out the Spartans.  The pinch hit of Moss forced the Pack to adjust their outfield as Jameson Rowe moved to centerfield.

Graham got off to a shaky start after hitting the leadoff man Jason Martin with a pitch.  That was followed by a bloop single to left field that fell in front of Waylen Sing Chow as San Jose opted to sacrifice to put two runners in scoring position with one out as they pushed the Pack to the brink.

Graham, who had pitched on three consecutive days and his fourth consecutive game for Nevada, gave up the game winning hit.  Spartan dual threat pitcher and designated hitter Zack Jones came up with his second clutch hit of the game, a single up the middle to end the Wolf Pack baseball season, as Martin and Tim Quiery scored to give San Jose a 7-6 victory.

“I’ll tell you what I can’t fault the effort of our players,” said Coach Powers following the season ending loss. “They played hard enough and well enough to win but that’s baseball,” Powers added.

“These kids just played their hearts out this weekend and I’m proud of them and for this team here going in picked sixth in the conference and getting 36 wins, those seniors can walk away and hold their heads high,” Powers said.

Powers, who finished his 28^th season at Nevada, was clearly pleased with his team’s development throughout the year but admitted his seniors will be missed. “It was a team effort and this team evolved into a very good team and it’s going to be hard to watch those 8 seniors leave,” said the Nevada coach.

With the loss Nevada dropped to 36-22-1 on the season.  San Jose will move on to play the winner of the Hawaii-Fresno State game which followed the extra inning affair tomorrow at 4 p.m.

SilverandBlueSports.com would like to thank you for your support by following Nevada Wolf Pack baseball.  With the loss of eight seniors it will be a busy offseason for the Nevada coaching staff so stay tuned to Silver and Blue Sports for the latest in Wolf Pack sporting news.

Mahoney’s homer was the culmination of a major league rally that saw Nevada push three runs across in the bottom of the 9th inning against New Mexico State reliever Steven Anderson. The comeback started when Nevada catcher Carlos Escobar, another freshman, doubled to left-center.  He came home on an RBI ground out by senior shortstop Kevin Rodland, the first out of the inning.

Then it was Mahoney, who kept the Pack’s season alive on a 2-0 pitch from Anderson.

Nevada will now play San Jose State at 4PM.

Jameson went 7 2/3 innings before allowing a Bulldog to reach base, retiring 23 consecutive batters.  Unfortunately for Jameson the hit he allowed was a solo home run to Louisiana Tech catcher Clint Ewing that made it a 2-1 game in the eighth inning.

“He was just dialing it in with dominant stuff and his pitch count was low and I don’t think he could have pitched any better than he pitched today,” said Nevada Head Coach Gary Powers.

The Wolf Pack got on the board first in the top of the fourth when Nick Melino homered to left center on a 2-0 count.  With runs at a premium it was important for the Pack to get on the board early and Melino was just warming up.

Nevada took a 2-0 lead in the top of the eighth when Joe Kohan led off with a single and advanced to third on a Shaun Kort infield single.  Kohan scored on a wild pitch and Nevada looked like they were in cruise control until Ewing’s home run tightened things up.

Nevada extended their 3-1 lead in the ninth when Jameson Rowe pinch ran for Brock Stassi, who reached on a walk.  Rowe stole second and came around to score when Nick Melino singled to centerfield.

Jameson came out to finish what he started but he was replaced by closer Tyler Graham after walking the leadoff batter in the ninth.  It was Jameson’s first base on balls on the day as he finished with four strikeouts while allowing only one hit and one earned run.

“I was mad at myself for letting him starting the inning, but it worked out for us and that is all that matters,” said Powers on pulling Jameson in the ninth.

Graham found himself in a jam after a single to right field put runners at first and second with nobody out.  Graham got out of the jam when he got a fly out to right field for the final out as Nevada lived to play another day.

Coach Powers opened the postgame news conference by saying, “My heart is still racing,” and the statement summed up the final two innings perfectly in a game that saw three of the four runs come in the final two frames.

As of press time Nevada’s next opponent remains unknown.  The Pack could face San Jose State if they lose to Fresno State later on tonight.  If Fresno is upset Nevada will face the loser of the Hawaii-New Mexico State game.  With the win Nevada improved to 35-21-1 on the year.

On the day of the seniors, it was sophomore second baseman Joe Kohan who delivered the big hit.  Kohan came off the bench and hit a solo shot in the bottom half of the 7th inning to break a 5-5 tie and put the Pack on top for good.

Nevada, which held a 2 games to 1 advantage heading into the finale, sent Carson City pitcher Jesse Rasner to the hill with a 1-0 record and 4.20 ERA in 14 appearances.   The senior was in control early, striking out two in the top of the first.  The same could not be said for his opponent, Bulldog pitcher Casey Jones.

Jones had control issues early as he hit Nevada’s leadoff batter and senior shortstop Kevin Rodland with the-5 first pitch of his outing.  Jones then walked Cullen Mahoney on four straight pitches.  Jones caught a break and got out the jam when Shaun Kort couldn’t execute a hit and run which led to a strike them out-throw them out double play of Rodland.

“It wasn’t a stealing situation, it was a hit and run so I didn’t get a good jump,” Rodland said of the botched hit and run attempt.

Nevada loaded the bases in the second inning, again without getting a hit.  Nick Melino and Brock Stassi started the inning with back to back walks and Garrett Yrigoyen reached when Bulldog first baseman Alex Williams couldn’t handle the throw.  Following a Michael Turay strikeout senior center fielder Westely Moss hit a sacrifice fly that scored Melino as the Pack took a 1-0 lead after two.

The Bulldogs got on the board in the fourth when Devon Dageford crushed the Jerad Harvey offering to the deepest part of the ballpark as Westely Moss watched the ball just make it over the center field fence.  Harvey came into replace Rasner and gave up the tying run to make it 1-1.

Louisiana Tech took the lead in the fifth when Clint Ewing led off the inning with a home run as Harvey’s bad luck continued.  The first two hits Harvey surrendered were home runs that allowed the Bulldogs to take a 2-1 lead.

After a scoreless bottom half the Bulldogs extended their lead when Dageford singled in Kyle Roliard who led off the inning with a double to give Louisiana Tech a short lived 3-1 lead.

The Pack struck right back in the bottom of the sixth when Brian Barnett followed a Shaun Kort walk with a blast over the left field fence for his 18^th home run of the season.  The blast from Barnett tied the game at 3 and forced a Louisiana Tech pitching change as Will Alves came in for Mike LeBreton.

The big inning continued for the pack when Melino was hit by a pitch and Stassi followed with a walk.  A botched pickoff attempt at second to get Melino advanced both runners and a Garrett Yrigoyen single through the right side of the infield to score Melino.  Michael Turay hit into a double play that allowed Stassi to score from third and Nevada took a 5-3 lead after six innings.

Louisiana Tech struck right back as Will Alves did his best to support his pitching effort by hitting a two-run home run to tie the game at 5.   Mat Keplinger replaced Anthony Fagan to get out of the jam.

But it was Kohan, who replaced Cullen Mahoney at second earlier in the game, who picked the perfect time to hit his first home run of the season. A native of Alaska, the sophomore’s blast sailed over the 380-foot marker in left center field.  After loading the bases with one out Brock Stassi hit a sacrifice fly to centerfield to score Kort as the Pack took a 7-5 advantage into the eighth inning.

After getting through the top of the eighth unscathed Nevada went to work and threatened with runners on first and third with nobody out.  After a Rodland strikeout, Kohan came up big once again as he ripped a single that produces a pair of runs to center.  Kohan came around to score on a throwing error that came on a Shaun Kort ground ball as the Pack took a 10-5 lead into the ninth.

Nevada closer Tyler Graham, who was already on the hill for the eighth, was on cruise control with a five run lead in the ninth as he put the Bulldogs down in order for the 10-5 win.

With the win Nevada improved to 34-20-1 overall and 14-9-1 in the Western Athletic Conference which is currently good for a second place tie with New Mexico State in the final standings.  However, the Aggies hold the tiebreaker and Nevada will be the third seed when WAC Tournament play begins on Wednesday.

The Pack will be losing a significant core of their offense and some of their best defensive players as well in Kevin Rodland, Westely Moss and Shaun Kort.  Silver and Blue Sports caught up with the three Pack stars following their Senior Day victory.

“It was a great win for us, we’re on a streak right now and the weather broke for us and it was a good team win,” Rodland said following the victory but he admitted preparation wasn’t easy for this game.  “It’s tough to know it’s your last game and I’ve had some great moments on the field and off and I’ve grown a lot and it’s been a great three years.  It’s tough to see it go but it’s not done yet,” added the senior from Snohomish, Washington.

Rodland was referring to the upcoming WAC tournament and the Pack is riding high heading into Mesa, Arizona where tournament action begins on Wednesday.  Rodland sees consistency as the key, “We’re feeling good, we just have to go down there and not change a thing and keep things going.”

Morale is high and this team has every reason to believe it as they have won 10 of their last 13 while preparing for the tournament.  Some guys weren’t afraid to show that confidence.

“We’re super confident,” said Moss. “We’re clicking on all cylinders right now and everything is looking good. Our pitching has come together and our hitters are putting up ridiculous numbers and everyone is just clicking.”

One player even considers the Pack the favorites.

“I think we’re ready. We’re playing the best out of any team going in the conference and that’s the important thing.  I think we’re the favorites and we should come out on top,” Shaun Kort said.

Some seniors were sad to see today come.

“It’s a sad day. I enjoyed my time here, really enjoyed it,” Moss added. “I’m glad they gave me the opportunity to come here as they were the only Division 1 offer from my junior college and I’m just glad for the opportunity and they’ve helped me out.”

Looking back, Kort was just proud to play in front of his family during his record-setting Pack career.

“I’m just happy my family could come and watch me play. It’s been the best four years of my life on and off the field and I would not change one thing about it,” Kort said, the owner of several Nevada school records. “There has been a lot of great players to play here and to be mentioned in the same sentence is quite an accomplishment, but I just go out there and play my game but when I get older it will be cool to look back and see my name in some places.”

Game Box Score

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Louisiana Tech got on the board early when Joey Ford doubled with runners on first and second plating Alex Williams from second to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead. On the previous play, Stassi appeared frustrated when he didn’t get the call on a late breaking curve ball that would have gotten Nevada out of the inning.

But Nevada struck right back, tying things up in the second after Nick Melino and Stassi reached on back to back walks.  Garrett Yrigoyen executed a sacrifice bunt that advanced the runners and Melino came across the plate when catcher Carlos Escobar grounded out to the shortstop as the game was tied at 1-1 after two. The Silver and Blue extended their lead in the third, but Louisiana Tech had some quality damage control after loading the bases with nobody out.  Brian Barnett hit into a double play with the bases loaded which scored shortstop Kevin Rodland.  Melino was hit by a pitch and Stassi followed that with a single through the right side of the infield scoring Cullen Mahoney from third to put the Pack up 3-1.

Once the Pack started scoring, they never stopped. Garrett Yrigoyen reached on a walk and Escobar stepped up with the bases loaded and unloaded them as the freshman hit his first career grand slam, his fifth home run of the year, to give Nevada a 7-1 lead.

The three-four hitters in the Nevada lineup came up big again in the fourth as Shaun Kort smacked a double down the left field line.  The double was the 73^rd of Kort’s illustrious career at Nevada and extended his hold on the record.  Barnett came up and knocked another double scoring Kort.  Melino reached on a throwing error and Stassi followed that with a double that scored Melino.

The bad luck continued in the fourth for the bulldogs as Yrigoyen singled off the chest of pitcher Josh Barrett as Nevada’s big fourth inning continued.  Escobar walked and center fielder Westely Moss came up and smoked one off the center field wall scoring two more.  Rodland followed that with a sacrifice fly that made it 13-1 before Barrett was pulled for left hander Jamelle Clements.  Shaun Kort reached on an error by the first baseman as another run would score to make it 14-1 after four.

Nevada batted around in both the third and fourth innings and Nevada looked as though it was heading for a ten run rule as things got went from bad to worse for Louisiana Tech in the sixth.

Westely Moss led off the inning with a single to left field and Rodland followed that up with his eighth home run of the season, a two-run shot that sailed over the left field fence.  Nevada continued to press in the inning as Waylen Sing-Chow hit a sacrifice fly in a pinch hit at-bat to score Mahoney.  Ronnie Mitchell scored on a bases loaded walk to give Nevada an 18-1 lead after six innings.

Coming in for Brock Stassi and closing things out was Jerad Harvey.  Stassi finished the game with 7 strikeouts in 5.2 innings pitched and improved his record to 7-4 on the year while lowering his ERA to 3.28 on the season.

With the victory Nevada improved to 33-20-1 overall and 13-9-1in the Western Athletic Conference.  The series finale is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Peccole Park.  Come on out and send the Nevada seniors off to the WAC Tournament in style.  The WAC Tournament begins play on Wednesday in Mesa, Arizona.

Game Box Score

Game 1

Starting for Nevada (31-19-1) was Tom Jameson who came into the game with a 4-1 record to go with his 4.35 ERA and 20 strikeouts.  The Bulldogs was had Trevor Petersen, who came in to the game with a 5-7 record and 7.19 ERA in 17 appearance, on the hill.

After a scoreless first Louisiana Tech got on the board in the second inning after a series of Nevada mistakes allowed the Bulldogs to take a 1-0 lead.  Devon Dageford reached on a throwing error by Pack shortstop Kevin Rodland and advanced to second on the wild throw.  Dageford advanced to third on a past ball and scored when Clint Ewing singled down the right field line to put Tech up 1-0.

Two hitless innings later, Nevada got on the board in the third.  Shaun Kort reached on a walk and advanced to second on a ground out by Nick Melino.  Kort, the all-time games played record holder at Nevada, scored on Brian Barnett’s single up the middle.  Barnett came around to score from first when Bulldog left fielder Kyle Roliard fumbled Brock Stassi’s double to give the Silver and Blue a 2-1 lead after three.

The Bulldogs wasted no time striking back as they regained the lead the next half inning when Taylor Terrasas hit a two-RBI single through the right side of the infield with runners on second and third to give La. Tech a 3-2 lead halfway through four.

It was only fitting that on senior weekend Nevada’s star senior came up with the big hit.  Trailing 3-2 in the fourth Shaun Kort stepped to the plate and hit a three run home run over the 380-foot marker in left center field to put Nevada up 5-3.  It was the 300^th hit of Kort’s decorated career at Nevada.

Louisiana Tech pulled within a run when designate hitter Will Alvis hit a solo home run that carried over the left field fence thanks to the strong wind at Peccole Park to make it 5-4 in the sixth.

Nevada extended the lead in the sixth when Barnett hit his 15^th home run of the season over the center field fence.  Barnett’s bomb tied him for tenth on Nevada’s single season home run list and it also gave the Pack an 8-4 lead after six.

Beau Witsoe replaced starter Tom Jameson and was saved with some nice defense after giving up a run in the seventh.  Witsoe got out of a first and third jam with one out when Kevin Rodland made a nice defensive stop to turn the double play and get out of the inning with an 8-5 lead.

Tyler Graham replaced Witsoe in the eighth with runners on first and second with one out as Graham was coming in for a five out save.  Great defense from Kort helped Nevada out of the jam as he made a nice play on a grounder and an even better scoop on a diving play by third baseman Garrett Yrigoyen to end the inning.

Graham completed the five out save when Rodland made up for his fielding errors with another great defensive play as he started the 6-4-3 double play to end the game as Nevada held on for the 8-5 victory. With the win Nevada improved to 32-19-1 on the year.

Game 1 Box Score

Barnett continues to smoke the ball

Game 2

Game two of this doubleheader was a disaster from the start for the Pack.  Despite sending former JUCO standout Jeremy Cole and his 4-1 record to the mound, Cole got one of the ten batters he faced out. The Bulldogs scorched him for 9 first inning runs on five doubles and four singles, batting around on the junior hurler.  In a short 7-inning game, that deficit would prove insurmountable for Nevada.

The Pack would add runs in the first, third, fourth and fifth innings, racking up a total of 8 runs, but at the end of the game Tech would nail down the win by a final score of 14-8. Brian Barnett would provide most of the damage with his tremendous bat, popping two homers in the night cap to increase his total to 17 on the season.

Of course, the good news for Nevada is that one of the top two spots in the WAC Tournament, with each team earning a first-round bye, is still on the table. Fresno State dropped a 12-2 decision to Sacramento State on Friday. Since Nevada now sports a 12-9-1 conference record (two games left), and Fresno State’s WAC record now stands at 13-8 (with three games left), the possibility remains that Nevada can move past the Bulldogs for second place.

However, the bad news for the Nevada baseball team tonight after the loss to Louisiana Tech is that it appears they can no longer win an outright WAC regular season championship.  New Mexico State, which holds a 2-1-1 record against Nevada this year, and boasts a final 14-9-1 conference record, has the tiebreaker over Nevada due to their head-to-head record. With some help from Sacramento State against Fresno State, Nevada can hope for a tie though. NMSU would earn the No. 1 seed in the WAC Tournament.

Game 2 Box Score

First baseman Shaun Kort and do-it-all junior Brock Stassi propelled the Wolf Pack to their 31st win of the season on Tuesday at Peccole Park by defeating the Aggies of UC-Davis, 8-6.  It was Kort’s 226th game appearance, making him number one on the all-time Nevada record books.

Kort moved past Matt Maguire (1999-02) into first place, and then promptly sparked Nevada with a double to lead off the bottom of the 7th inning in what was a tie game, 6-6.  Kort’s two-bagger was followed up Brian Barnett’s 14th home run of the season, giving the Pack an 8-6 lead.  Nevada closer Tyler Graham pitched the 9th, converting his seventh save of the season to push Nevada to 31-19-1.

Game Box Score

Up next for Nevada is a four-game, regular season-ending showdown with Louisiana Tech at Peccole Park.  The action gets started on Friday with a doubleheader that gets underway at 2:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday’s single games start at 1:00 p.m. The games couldn’t be more important for Nevada, which currently sit in third place in the WAC standings.  The Pack remain alive for the No. 1 seed in the WAC Tournament, which starts a week from today, but they’ll need to sweep the Bulldogs, plus get some help from Sacramento State which host front-runner Fresno State over the final weekend in order to move up.

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.