RENO, Nev. — Senior Tyler White finished 3-for-5 with a double and three RBI, helping Sacramento State nearly erase a five-run deficit with a huge seventh inning, but host Nevada answered to pull away late en route to a 12-6 victory on Tuesday night at Don Weir Field at Peccole Park in Reno, Nev.
The loss dropped the Hornets to 23-17 overall while falling in the second meeting with the Wolf Pack this year. Nevada improved to 23-17 overall with the win.
A double by Luis Pimentel-Guerrero in the first inning plated White to put the Hornets up early, but the homestanding Wolf Pack put up a three-spot in both the second and third innings to build a 6-1 advantage.
White collected the first of his three RBI with a single in the fifth, which was matched by a Nevada run in the sixth to rebuild the lead to five.
That's when the Sacramento State offense caught fire, putting up four runs in the seventh to nearly complete the comeback and make it a one-run contest. Back-to-back hit batters sent Cameron Sewell and Michael Perazzo to the basepaths for White, who laced a double down the left field line to score both and close the gap to 7-4.
Following a change on the mound, Matt Masciangelo was hit by a pitch to put two on for the Hornets as Smith followed a fly out with a single to center, scoring White to make it 7-5. With two outs and two on, freshman Jameson Mullin clawed Sacramento State to within a run.
However, all that work was undone by the Wolf Pack in the home half of the inning as Nevada plated five runs on an RBI single, a two-run double, and a two-run home run to cap the scoring.
The Hornets had their chances, stranding 10 runners on base for the game — six of those in scoring position.
Senior right-hander Tyler Stewart (1-3), who was making his first appearance on the mound since April 5, suffered the loss, allowing three runs on five hits over 1.2 innings. Jayce Dobie (2-2) earned the win, allowing two runs on four hits and striking out six in five innings.
For White, it was his fifth, three-hit game of the year and his 13th contest with multiple hits overall while teammate JP Smith added a 2-for-4 night with a double and RBI. White reached base safely for the 17th consecutive contest, marking the longest active such streak by a Hornet hitter and the fourth longest this year.
On a bye from Western Athletic Conference play this weekend, Sacramento State stays home to host UC Riverside in a three-game series at John Smith Field. The series opens on Friday (April 25) at 4 p.m., followed by a 6 p.m. first pitch on Saturday (April 26) for game two. Sunday's finale is slated for a 1 p.m. start.
