MESA, Ariz. – University of Nevada (2-2) pinch hitter Brad Gerig delivered a two-out two-RBI walk-off double in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Wolf Pack a 9-8 victory over Kansas (2-2) at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, Ariz. Today. The Pack and Jayhawks split the four-game series to begin the 2013 season.
Down 8-7 left fielder Lance Berringer singled to start the bottom of the ninth and was bunted to second base. Second baseman Scott Kaplan was retired on a ground out that moved Berringer to third base. Pinch hitter Bryce Barger drew a walk and Curtis Frisbie came off the bench to pinch run for him. Gerig pinch hit and drove the 0-2 pitch off the left field fence to score both runs and give the Pack the walk-off victory.
Nevada trailed 6-2 heading to the bottom of the fifth inning. A single run in the fifth and two more in the sixth closed the gap to 6-5. KU added a run in the top of the seventh before the Pack scored twice in the bottom half of the inning to knot the game at seven. Catcher Ryan Teel’s single tied the game the seventh.
The Jayhawks scratched out a run in the top of the eighth inning before the Pack rallied for the dramatic 9-8 victory.
Michael Fain (1-0) the fourth Pack pitcher of the game earned the win allowing two runs on three hits in his three innings on the mound. Robert Kahana (1-1) was tagged with the loss giving up two runs on three hits in two innings on the mound.
Brooks Klein (2-for-4, 2RBI), Lance Berringer (2-for-5, 2R), Hugo Hernandez (2-for-4, R, RBI) and Teel (2-for-2, 2RBI) each had two hits in the game. Klein, Austin Byler, Teel and Gerig each drove in two runs in the game. Klein and Byler extended hit streaks to seven games dating back to last season.
Kevin Kuntz (2-for4, R, RBI), Jordan Dreiling (2-for-4, RBI), Alex DeLeon (2-for-2, 2R, 2RBI) and Jacob Boylan (2-for-3, R, RBI) had two hits each for KU. DeLeon and Ka’iana Eldredge had two RBI apiece.
Nevada returns home to host Northern Illinois next weekend at Peccole Park. The Wolf Pack and Huskies will play a four-game series starting Friday at 2 p.m.
The Jayhawks have won two of the first three games in the four-game series to improve to 2-1. The Wolf Pack is 1-2.
The Pack led 3-2 heading to the bottom of the seventh inning but the Jayhawks sent eight players to the plate and three scored giving KU the 5-3 lead. The last two runs scored with two out. Kansas added an insurance run in the eighth to make the final score 6-3.
Nevada got back-to-back triples from right field Brooks Klein and third baseman Austin Byler in the first to take an early 1-0 advantage. Center fielder Jameson Rowe doubled and scored in the third to make it 2-0.
KU scored single runs in the third and fourth innings to tie the game at two. Rowe reached on a two-base error in the seventh inning and scored his second run of the game on first baseman Kewby Meyer’s single to give the Pack a 3-2 lead. The Jayhawks then scored the final four runs of the game.
Tom Jameson (0-1) suffered the loss allowing five runs on six hits in six innings on the mound. Jordan Piche’ (1-0) pitched 2.1 innings of shutout relief to earn the victory.
Meyer (3-for-5, RBI) led the Pack with three hits and drove in a run. Rowe (2-for-5,2R) and Klein (2-for-5,R) had two hits each. Rowe scored twice and Klein accounted for the Pack’s third run of the game.
Jordan Dreiling (2-for-4,RBI), Dakota Smith (2-for-4,R,RBI), Michael Suiter (2-for-4,R,RBI) and Jacob Boylan (2-for-3,2R) had two hits each for KU. Six different Jayhawk hitters drove in a run.
