After a disappointing series loss in Mississippi against Ole Miss, the Nevada Wolf Pack returned for their home opener to play the Utah Valley Wolverines in a three-game series; two of those games were played as a doubleheader on Saturday, February 21.
Game 1
Both teams traded hits in the first inning, right fielder Kaden Carpenter for Utah Valley and second baseman Junhyuk Kwon for Nevada. It wasn’t until the third inning Utah Valley struck first on an RBI double from Carpenter. The Wolverines didn’t lead for long, though, as the Wolf Pack tied the game off an error that sent first baseman Jayce Dobie to home plate.
What started as a walk from designated hitter Noah Blythe during the fourth inning turned into a 2-1 lead for Nevada after right fielder Sam Kane hit an RBI double. With bases-loaded, center fielder Jacob Doyle hit a 3RBI double, putting Nevada up 5-1.
Both offenses cooled in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings. However, the Wolf Pack scored twice off of errors in the eighth inning, extending their lead for a 7-1 advantage over Utah Valley.
Down to the last inning, Utah Valley scored 3 runs in the ninth, courtesy of a combined 3RBI from designated hitter Luke Iverson and shortstop DJ Massey to make it a 7-4 ballgame as their momentum wasn’t enough to overcome the Wolf Pack’s offense.
Offensive leaders of the game for the Wolf Pack include left fielder Rominic Quiban going 2-4, Doyle going 1-2 with 3RBI and Kane hitting 1-3 with a double and an RBI.
Starting pitcher Alessandro Castro was a difference-maker in Nevada’s win, going 5.2 IP, allowing 6 hits and just 1 run. He struck out 5 in 24 batters total.
Game 2
Nevada’s offense dried up to start game 2, with just one hit through four innings. Similar to game 1, the Wolf Pack and the Wolverines traded hits in the first inning. However, Utah Valley scored a run in their first two innings, along with a pair in the third. Nevada faced a 4-0 deficit early in the game.
The Wolf Pack howled in the fifth inning; Back-to-back doubles from Kane and shortstop Jackson Waller put the Wolf Pack on the board to make it 4-1, along with two more walks from Doyle and Kwon, loading the bases for third baseman Sean Yamaguchi. Yamaguchi came up big for Nevada, hitting a 2RBI single to turn the game into a one-run deficit for Nevada.
The first home run of the day came from Utah Valley’s third baseman, Mason Hamlin, in the seventh inning to make it 5-3 Wolverines. However, in the bottom of the seventh, Nevada stormed back with three runs on two hits by Dobie and Kwon. The Wolf Pack gained their first lead of the day, a 6-5 advantage.
With three runs coming from Waller, Doyle and catcher Jake Harvey in the eighth, the Wolf Pack put on a commanding 9-5 lead heading into the ninth.
Andres Castro closed out the game strong for Nevada, allowing 2 hits and zero runs, while posting 2 strikeouts to lift Nevada to the win.
