The Nevada baseball team (20-15, 8-7) hosted San Jose State (20-16, 8-7) at Peccole Park for a three-game series from April 11-13. The Pack dropped the first two games, 10-5 and 7-5, before avoiding the sweep with a 12-2 run-rule victory in seven innings to close the series.
San Jose State jumped out to an early lead and never looked back in a 10-5 win over Nevada to open the series. The Spartans struck for three runs in the second inning, highlighted by RBI doubles from third baseman JC Osorio-Agard and first baseman Zach Tallerman. They added two more in the third to extend the lead to 5-1.
Nevada showed flashes of life with solo home runs from third baseman Sean Yamaguchi and first baseman Jace Dobie, along with a fourth-inning rally capped by a catcher Jake Harvey RBI double. Despite drawing walks and applying pressure on the basepaths, the Pack couldn’t fully close the gap.
San Jose State broke things open again in the sixth with a two-run double from second baseman Antonio Nanez and an RBI triple from left fielder Neil Jansen. Center fielder Jeriah Lewis added a solo home run in the seventh, capping off a 4-for-4 performance with two RBIs and two runs scored.
The early deficit proved too much for Nevada to overcome. Harvey led the Pack with two doubles and an RBI, while pitcher Kyle Calzadiaz earned the win for the Spartans.
Nevada’s luck seemed to have turned around to start the second game of the series, as the Pack jumped out to a 3-1 lead through the first three innings. The Pack scored in the first when Harvey singled home a run, and in the second, Harvey added another RBI single to put Nevada up 2-1. In the third, Yamaguchi extended the lead with a solo home run to left center.
The Spartans responded with a solo home run in the fourth from shortstop Rocco Caballero, then added two more runs in the fifth to take a 4-3 lead. Right fielder Alex Fernandes doubled to left center to score designated hitter Jake McCoy, and second baseman Antonio Nanez followed with an RBI single to bring Fernandes home.
Nevada answered in the sixth when designated hitter Billy Ham hit a home run to tie the game. In the seventh, Harvey scored to give the Pack the lead after a single up the middle by Yamaguchi.
In the top of the ninth, San Jose State took control with three runs. After a walk to Jansen and a hit-by-pitch to pinch hitter Zach Chamizo, the Spartans loaded the bases. Nanez walked to bring in another run before Caballero’s three-run double down the left-field line cleared the bases, giving San Jose State a 7-5 lead.
Nevada couldn’t recover in the bottom of the ninth, as a throwing error and walks put runners on base, but the Pack stranded two and failed to score, ending the game with a 7-5 loss.
In the final game of the series, the Spartans took the lead in the third inning with a two-run double from Caballero, allowing Nanez and Fernandes to score. However, Nevada responded quickly in the fourth, plating three runs. Yamaguchi singled in a run, followed by an RBI single from third baseman Jackson Waller, and another run scored on a single from left fielder Taylor Holder.
The Pack kept the pressure on in the fifth inning, adding four more runs. A two-RBI single from Waller, combined with a stolen base by Holder, extended Nevada’s lead. The offense remained strong in the sixth, tacking on five more runs. A double from shortstop Mason Hirata, a two-RBI double from Ham, and a single from Waller all continued to build the Pack’s lead.
Nevada’s pitching dominated in the sixth, shutting down the Spartans and sealing the 12-2 victory to avoid the sweep.
The Wolf Pack’s next conference challenge will come on the road as they travel to Pullman, Washington to take on the Washington State Cougars (14-21, 7-8) in a three-game series from April 17-April 19.
James Wolfgang Perez can be reached via email dominicgutierrez@unr.edu or via X @jpereznevada
