RENO, Nev. – Despite maintaining a 13-8 advantage in hits, San Diego State was unable to overcome a host of miscues in a 12-6 setback to Nevada on Saturday night at Don Weir Field at Peccole Park.
On the mound, four Aztec pitchers combined for 11 strikeouts; however, SDSU (6-20, 1-10 MW) was undone by four errors, four hit batters and three wild pitches, as the Wolf Pack (12-13, 6-4 MW) snapped a three-game losing streak. In addition, the Scarlet and Black stranded eight runners on base through the first four innings and 15 for the night.
The Aztecs took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first when Trevor Hazelhurst drew a bases-loaded walk that brought in Poncho Ruiz. However, the Scarlet and Black squandered a potential big inning after Nevada starter Cam Walty picked off Shaun Montoya at second base earlier in the frame before inducing a pop fly to Xavier Carter to get out of a jam.
Buoyed by their good fortune, the Wolf Pack sent 10 men to the plate in the bottom of the first, scoring six runs (three earned) on just two hits while capitalizing on two SDSU errors, two hit batters and a wild pitch. Matt Clayton supplied the big hit with a two-run single, while Jaxon Woodhouse later darted home from third after an errant throw by Aztec starter Kelena Sauer on a botched pick-off attempt at first.
Suddenly trailing 6-1, the Aztecs seemed poised to put a big dent in that deficit in the second after the first three batters reached to load the bases. Brian Leonhardt led off with a walk; Max Foxcroft followed with a single to right center, while Caden Miller was hit by a pitch. Moments later, Leonhardt raced home on a wild pitch, while Foxcroft crossed the plate on Ruiz's groundout to short.
However, Walty managed to minimize the damage thanks to a strikeout and another inning-ending groundout.
Undaunted, SDSU continued to chip away at the deficit in the third when Tyler Glowacki led off with a single, advanced on a wild pitch and later scored on Leonhardt's double down the right-line, which trimmed the margin to 6-4. Yet the Aztecs were stymied once again after Foxcroft was plunked by Walty, who wiggled free of further trouble courtesy of another strikeout and groundout.
Consequently, Wolf Pack responded with a pair of markers in their half of the third to stake an 8-4 lead. Anthony Flores led off with a double to left center and advanced to third on a wild pitch before racing home on an ill-fated throw by Ruiz to the bag. Shortly thereafter, Clayton tripled to third and ultimately dashed home when Ryan Jackson reached on a fielding error.
The score remained unchanged until the seventh when Glowacki led off with a double to right center and eventually crossed the plate on Johnny Giannola's RBI single, which narrowed the gap to 8-5. After a flyout, Tino Bethancourt and Miller drew consecutive walks to load the bases, but Tyler Cochran, Nevada's third pitcher of the game, induced another fly ball to keep the Scarlet and Black at bay.
The Wolf Pack essentially put the contest out of reach in their half of the seventh thanks to the efforts of Pat Caulfield, who doubled in Josh Zamora and Landon Wallace and later stole home.
Caulfield also singled and scored in the eighth on Flores' two out double in the eighth, while Giannola accounted for the final tally in the ninth with his first homer in a Scarlet and Black uniform.
Walty (2-3) earned the victory for Nevada despite giving up four runs on eight hits and three walks against five strikeouts in 6.0 innings, while Cochran collected his third save of the year. Conversely, Sauer (1-5) took the loss after recording just two outs in the fateful first.
Glowacki led all players with three hits, while Leonhardt, Giannola and Cole Carrigg finished with two apiece in the loss.
San Diego State and Nevada will square off in the rubber game of their weekend series on Sunday, beginning at 1 p.m. PT.
Aztecs Doubled Up at Nevada, 12-6
