May 6, 2016
RENO, Nev. - San Jose State held a 7-6 lead in the sixth inning but host Nevada used a four-run seventh to hand the Spartans an 11-8 defeat in the series opener Friday night at Peccole Park.
San Jose State (15-31, 6-19 MW) scored in four of its first six trips to the plate and collected five extra-base hits on the night, but Nevada (25-20, 14-8 MW) rallied for multiple runs on three different occasions and posted seven extra-base hits.
With the game deadlocked at 7-7 after six full innings, the Wolf Pack struck for four runs in the bottom of the seventh to take its second and final lead of the night. Nevada loaded the bases off Jake Swiech (L, 1-3) to open the frame, then got a sac fly from Justin Hazard. Swiech was lifted for Graham Gomez, who got an out but then reloaded the bases with a walk. Justin Bridgman then put the game out of reach with a bases-clearing triple over Dillan Smith's head in center.
Four different Spartans - Joe Stefanki (2-4, run, double, two RBIs), Aaron Pleschner (2-4, two runs, double, RBI), Brendt Citta (2-4, run, two doubles, three RBIs) and Hunter Tidwell (2-5, home run) - picked up a pair of hits. Michael Breen (1-5), Ozzy Braff (1-5, double), Shane Timmons (1-4, run) and Smith (1-3, run) contributed to the 12-hit output.
Brendt Citta got the Spartans on the board with a two-run double in the top of the second inning, and after Hunter Tidwell singled him to third, Citta scored on Josh Nashed's well-placed sacrifice bunt.
Aaron Pleschner extended the lead to four with a sacrifice fly to left in the top of the third that scored Stefanki, who reached on a booming double that hit high off the fence in left center.
Nevada, held scoreless through the first two frames, finally got to Spartans starter Matt Brown in the bottom of the third for three runs on four hits. Three of the four hits and all three runs came across after there were two outs in the inning.
Tidwell answered with a line drive solo home run over the left field fence to lead off the fourth. The long ball was the first collegiate blast for Tidwell after he went three varsity seasons without one at Vista Murrieta High School.
The Wolf Pack grabbed its first lead of the night with a three-run rally in the fifth off Brown's replacement, Zach Tanner. A triple sandwiched between two doubles did most of the damage and set the table for Bryce Greager's sac fly to make it a 6-5 ballgame.
The Spartans briefly reclaimed the lead when Stefanki golfed a two-strike, two-out base hit back up the box to plate Smith and Nashed, putting them up 7-6. Miles Mastrobuoni made sure it didn't last long, though, as the Wolf Pack second baseman laid down a safety squeeze that brought home TJ Friedl to knot it back up at 7-7.
Game two of the series gets underway Saturday at 6:00 p.m. Rain is in the forecast for most of the day.