Box Score Stockton, Calif. – The Pacific Tigers couldn't keep the Nevada offense in check Tuesday night and lost 10-5 to the Wolf Pack at home. It was Pacific's seventh loss in a row and dropped their overall record to 17-25. The Tigers will return to conference play this weekend, where they are just a few games back from the top half of the WCC.
Taylor Johnson was on the mound to start the game for the Tigers. Johnson had just five walks in his previous 13 appearances before walking four today in his 2.2 innings of work, after which he was replaced by Bryce Lombardi, who worked 1.1 scoreless innings.
Justin Giovannoni took the loss even though he allowed no earned runs, as Nevada managed two runs against him due to Pacific errors. It was his first loss of the year, as he is now 1-1.
The starter for Nevada was Anthony Martine, who only faced four batters and retired none before he was removed from the game on a quick hook. Cameron Rowland replaced Martine and got the win with five innings of work, during which he allowed two runs.
The save went to Mark Nowaczewski, who earned his first of the year by shutting out the Tigers for the last four innings of the game. Nowaczewski gave up just one hit and one walk to seal Nevada's win.
The Tigers faced an early deficit as the first two batters of the game reached third. The leadoff man for Nevada triple, then scored on a double one pitch later. That batter took third on a fielding error, then scored on a wild pitch to make it 2-0.
Three of the next four batters walked, broken up only by a sacrifice bunt. Johnson didn't allow another run to score as he struck out a man swinging with the bases loaded before getting an easy fielder's choice to end the inning after just two runs.
Kevin Sandri's leadoff double to left jump-started the offense in the first for the Tigers. The freshman would score when J.J. Wagner chopped the ball at the pitcher meekly. Thankfully, Wagner ended up at second as the throw to first flew into the outfield to make it 2-1.
Pacific took the lead right back when Danny Mayer calmly deposited the ball over the leftfield wall for his 13th homerun of the season. Mayer took the second pitch he saw out of the park to make it 3-2. It also moved Mayer into a tie for fourth in Pacific history for the most homers in a single season.
The homer was also an excellent exclamation point that extended Mayer's hitting streak to 12 games and his on-base streak to 25. During the hitting streak, Mayer has knocked 11 extra-base hits, scored 12 runs, and driven in 10, all while hitting .340. He has six doubles and five homeruns in that stretch.
For the second time in as many innings, Sandri reached base, this time with a walk. Wagner ended his at-bat on second once again but this time did the work himself as he doubled off the leftfield wall with a blast.
Gio Brusa would score two runs for Pacific with a single into leftfield past the glove of the shortstop, giving him 35 RBI this season. Brusa moved to seventh all-time in Pacific history in RBI last game when he got his 109th and is now just four away from moving up another spot. The senior also moves to sixth in the WCC in RBI with that single.
Nevada added a run in the third, scoring after a leadoff double that set up their attack. Blake Barry nearly threw the runner out at second on the double but Louis Mejia couldn't slide the tag across quite in time. That runner would score on a single to right by the next batter, making it 5-3. A single to center scored another run and ended Johnson's night.
Lombardi hit the first batter he faced but ended the inning with a flyout to Mayer that stranded both runners. He would retire all four of the other batters he faced before Giovannoni came into the game.
Lucas Halstead made in four games in a row with an extra-base hit when he doubled off the wall in left-center to start the third. Barry's single through the ample hole on the right side moved Halstead to third after a lineout. Unfortunately, Halstead couldn't make it four games in a row with a run as well as both runners were stranded on base.
In the fifth, Giovannoni kept up the work Lombardi started with a perfect inning of his own, allowing nothing coming close to a hit as he locked down Nevada's offense.
Another Halstead double came in the bottom of the fifth, this one also to left-center. Halstead got enough of it that it managed to take one bounce out of play for a ground-rule double despite the imposing height of the wall. Halstead was thrown out at third when Mejia hit a grounder to short, catching Halstead in between bases. Barry had an infield single to move his batting average as a starter to .283 but the Tigers stranded two men on base once again.
The Tigers stretch of eight straight batters retired was broken when a dropped flyball gave Nevada a baserunner on third with one out in the sixth. Giovannoni was still dealing but the game was tied as a groundout pushed the man on third across to make it 5-5.
Two walks and a stolen base gave Nevada men on the corners and brought Fineas Del Bonta-Smith onto the mound with two outs. The Wolf Pack was still able to strike again with a bloop single to short right that gave them the lead for the first time since the top of the first inning.
The Tiger offense sputtered late, as they managed just one baserunner in the sixth and seventh and couldn't score a run after the second inning. Pacific hit .188 with runners in scoring position in the game, with all three of their hits coming in the first three innings.
A single and two walks loaded the bases for the Wolf Pack with two outs in the eighth inning. The Wolf Pack scored another run, making it 7-4, when an error allowed every runner to advance safely. Jordon Gonzalez's third strikeout of the inning ended it and gave Pacific's offense another shot at tying the game up.
Sandri reached base in the eighth to break Pacific's streak of six in a row retired, making it on a catcher's interference. The shortstop made it to second on a passed ball but was stranded there.
The first two men in the ninth reached for Nevada on a single and a walk. Both those runners advanced on a failed back-pick that bounced off the ground near second and into centerfield. A flyball to center scored another Nevada run.
Pacific brought the infield in but it backfired as the ball looped over the infielders to score Nevada's ninth run. Another single ended Vince Arobio's night and brought in Toby Woods.
A HBP loaded the bases again for Nevada. Woods forced a flyout but it was deep enough to push another run across to give Nevada a five-run lead. Wagner made a fine pick as he fell to the ground to save a sure single and end the inning with the score 10-5.
Errors put Nevada in a bind in the bottom of the ninth. Both Brusa and Halstead reached via error while Verlin singled to give Pacific loaded bases with one out. Pacific couldn't score though as a double play ended the game and gave the Tigers the loss.
Pacific's return to WCC play will come this weekend when they host the Santa Clara Broncos. The first game of that series will be Friday at 7:00 pm. Saturday's game will be at 6:00 pm and will be a fireworks night. The series will end Sunday at 1:00 pm. Tickets for all home games are available online.
Make sure to follow Pacific baseball on Twitter with the username @PacificBaseball and on Instagram at pacificbaseball.
