Josh Zamora swings at a pitch in a game versus San Diego State
Andrea Wilkinson/Nevada Sagebrush. Josh Zamora swings at a pitch in a game versus San Diego State on Friday, April 5, at Peccole Park. Zamora hit a home run in the final game of the series.

Nevada concluded their nine-game homestand with an 11-3 loss on Sunday afternoon to the San Diego State Aztecs. Nevada lost two out of three games to SDSU making the Pack 16-15 on the season, and 6-9 in the Mountain West.

The Pack got off to a hot start in the first game on Friday, beating San Diego State 8-7 off of a walk-off single by Wyatt Tilley. Starter Ryan Anderson did not allow a hit through the first five innings, finishing with six innings pitched and seven strikeouts. Anderson did, however, let five runs cross the plate before right-hander Grant Ford took over in the seventh inning.

Nevada tallied 13 hits in comparison to San Diego State’s four-hits, but the Pack gave up eight walks. Weston Hatten had a big day at the plate on Friday, recording three hits, two RBIs and was a triple away from hitting for the cycle. Jaylon McLaughlin was also able to record two RBIs on two hits.

Nevada got out to an early 7-2 lead on the Aztecs in the fourth thanks to Joshua Zamora stealing home. The Aztecs made it interesting and tied the game at seven off of a wild pitch in the ninth inning. Wyatt Tilly singled in the bottom of the ninth inning, allowing McLaughlin to cross the plate sealing the 8-7 walk-off victory for the Pack.

On Saturday, the second game was dominated by pitching. Nevada scored two runs on six hits while giving up six runs on 11 hits. The freshman Owen Sharts was on the mound for Nevada and pitched a shutout until the sixth inning. Cooper Powell took over in the seventh inning giving up two runs off of three hits.

McLaughlin led the Pack with three hits on the evening, making it his sixth time this season hitting that mark.

Zamora gave the Pack a 1-0 lead in the first inning which held until the sixth. Thanks to some hot bats, the Aztecs were able to build their lead to 4-1. San Diego State’s hitting transferred over into the seventh where they scored two more runs.

In the seventh Ben Purcell took the mound and pitched the final 2.2 innings only allowing one hit. In the bottom of the ninth, the Pack was able to squeak out one more run as Nick Seamons double to center allowing Jaylon McLaughlin to cross the plate.

The Pack struggled in the third and final game in the series giving up 15 hits and 11 runs. Dalton Gomez took the mound to start the game but was quickly taken out in the third inning. In relief, Tyler Smith, Shane Gustafson and Ty Hueckman pitched 5.1 shutout innings and only allowed a combined three hits.

Dillan Shrum and Zamora were bright spots on a relatively quiet line-up for the Pack. Both tallied homers making it seven home runs on the year for both players.  

The Aztecs came out swinging on Sunday plating two RBI-singles and scoring its third run on a fielder’s choice as San Diego State took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first.

The Aztecs were able to expand their lead in the third inning, thanks in large part to a three-run blast that put SDSU up 7-1. The Pack was able to round up two more runs, thanks to a Nick Seamons RBI single in the fourth and Joshua Zamora’s homer in the eighth.

McLaughlin now tops the Pack with a .396 batting average in conference play. Shrum’s five homers against Mountain West opponents leads the league.

The Pack set their sights to a mid-week game set for 2 p.m. on Tuesday, April 9, where Nevada will take on Saint Mary’s who is 19-12 on the year. The Pack then take on New Mexico for a three-game series starting Friday, April 12 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.


Austin Paschke can be reached at dstrugs@sagebrush.unr.edu and on Twitter @SagebrushSports.