Nevada Softball took the opening game of their three-game series against 25th ranked Colorado State, but were outscored 18-1 in the final two games.

The Wolf Pack fell to 23-18 overall and 8-7 in conference, which is tied for third in the Mountain West Conference with Fresno State and Boise State.

April 18 vs No. 25 Colorado State

The Pack were down but had to persevere in Thursday’s game versus the Rams.

Down one heading into the seventh inning, Sierra Mello led off the inning with a walk. Sandria McAlister doubled down the left field line, putting two runners in scoring position with no outs.

Dallas Millwood hit a one-out RBI, followed by an intentional walk issued to Ashley Salausa that loaded the bases. Kwynn Warner came up to bat, driving a 3-2 pitch into left field that scored the winning run from third to earn a 4-3 victory in the seventh inning.

Starting pitcher Kendall Fritz put together another dominant outing. She struck out two in seven innings, allowing three runs and earned her tenth victory on the season.

The lead up to the exciting end was preceded by eight back-and-forth innings of softball.

Offensively, Nevada laced nine hits led by Millwood, Mello, McAlister and Warner who all recorded multi-hit performances.  

Colorado State got on the board in the second inning after a delayed steal home.

Ashley Salausa put Nevada on the board in the following frame with her fifth home run on the season — and her second in as many games.

The Pack loaded the bases in the fifth inning. Millwood drove in her 39th RBI on the season giving Nevada a 2-1 advantage.

The lead was short-lived, as Amber Nelson hit a leadoff home run to begin the top half of the sixth inning. Tara Shadowen led off the seventh inning with a leadoff shot to center, putting the Rams up 3-2.

The Pack rallied in the ninth. Millwood singled, driving in McAlister and tying the contest at three. Salausa was intentionally walked with two runners in scoring position, loading the bases for Warner’s walk-off single.

April 19 vs No. 25 Colorado State

Colorado State fell in love with the long ball in a 9-0 victory over Nevada on Friday. The Rams tied a season-high with three home runs in the shutout win in a contest that only lasted five innings.

Kali Sargent allowed six runs over three innings, losing her seventh game on the season and increasing her ERA to 3.83 on the season. The senior right-hander struck out five in her first appearance since March 30. Julia Jensen came in for relief, allowing one hit and three unearned runs in 0.2 frames. Rachel Rodriguez pitched 1.1 hitless innings to seal the game.

Mello, Lauren Gutierrez and Haley Burda were the only Pack members to record hits on the afternoon. Gutierrez had the only extra base hit on the afternoon, hitting a two-out double in the third inning.

A three-run home run in the opening frame by Shadowen, her second in as many at-bats dating back to the previous game, put the Rams on the board early. Isabella Navarro added a solo home run of her own in the second inning, giving the Rams a 4-0 lead.

Colorado State opened the floodgates with a five-run fourth inning loading the bases with no outs. A sacrifice fly and costly error from the Pack gave the Rams a 7-0 lead. The final blow came on a two-run home run from Nelson.

April 20 vs No. 25 Colorado State

Colorado State struck for nine more in their 9-1 victory over the Nevada Softball on Saturday, earning the series victory over their conference foe. The Rams have not dropped a conference series this season, earning their sixth series victory.

The Pack offense struggled for a second consecutive game, tallying just six hits. The only player with multiple hits was Millwood, going 2-3 with a solo home run in the second inning which accounted for the only run on the afternoon.

After pitching a complete game on Thursday, Fritz pitched only five innings in Saturday’s outing. She struck out three, walked two and allowed eight runs in the losing effort. Sargent, coming off a 63-pitch effort Friday, relieved the final two innings. Sargent surrendered two hits, allowing one run to pass.

The Rams jumped out of the gate for the second straight day, tacking on two early runs on three hits in the first inning. Millwood’s home run in the second cut the lead in half. Colorado State tacked on two more runs in the following frame on a solo shot by Nelson — her third in as many days — followed by an RBI double by Ashley Ruiz.

Colorado State added five total runs in the fourth, fifth and seventh innings — highlighted by their three-run fifth inning. Nevada was only able to accumulate two hits in the final four innings.

Nevada Softball hits the road for a four-game road trip, starting in Berkeley to take on California on Tuesday, April 23.

Matt Hanifan can be reached at dstrugs@sagebrush.unr.edu and on Twitter @SagebrushSports.