RENO - Dayton's Matt Bowman said it was an at-bat he'll always remember.
Bowman hit a three-run homer on the first pitch he saw from reliever Billy Sinacori in the bottom of the ninth to snap a 3-all tie and give Nevada a dramatic 6-3 triumph over Sacramento State Saturday night at Peccole Park.
It was Bowman's seventh homer of the year, and it couldn't have come at a more opportune time. He was mobbed by teammates as he crossed the plate.
"I hit one (walk-off) in the summer (two years ago) when I played for the Sun Devils" said Bowman, who went 3-for-5 and drove in four runs. "It's a much different feeling doing it at Peccole with all the people here. It's something I'll never forget.
"It was a curveball that just hung a little. I was geared up for the fastball. I saw the curve pretty good out of his hand. I knew I'd hit it hard. As soon as the count got to 3-1 on Bake (Krukow), I was telling him to get on base and get me up there."
Nevada had tied the game at 3 earlier in the inning when tough-luck loser Mitch Lively, 0-5, uncorked a wild pitch to score pinch-hitter Trevor O'Sullivan, who had singled. Brian Joynt delivered a pinch-hit, check-swing single. Lively left the game after throwing a ball to Durrell Williams. Sinacori fanned Williams, but walked Krukow on a 3-2 pitch, setting the stage for Bowman.
The win was Nevada's third straight. The sixth-place Pack, 20-26 and 7-12 in the Western Athletic Conference, go for their second conference sweep of the season today at 1 against the fifth-place Hornets, who are just a half-game ahead of Nevada.
"We're starting to come around once again" Bowman said. "There is a good feeling in the clubhouse."
"Our kids needed it," Nevada coach Gary Powers said. "It's been a long year; a tough year. The whole team contributed to this win. This would have been a tough loss."
Powers was referring to the ninth-inning hits by O'Sullivan and Joynt, the eight strong innings he got from starter Ryan Rodriguez, the scoreless ninth by winner Wesley Dorsett, 3-5, and the errorless defense.
Powers was pleased with the gritty performance by Rodriguez, who scattered 10 hits and stranded eight baserunners through the first seven innings.
"He threw 116 pitches (actually 119) and 80 were strikes," Powers said. "That says a lot. He was trying to command the strike zone. I think he was getting tired."
"It was a quality effort," Rodriguez said. "Even though I didn't get the win, I'll take it if I can pitch like that every time out. I kept us there and we were able to win the game. The first four innings I didn't think I had good stuff. The 5th, 6th and 7th I started getting my fastball over consistently."
Rodriguez carried a 2-1 lead into the eighth. That was short-lived. He hit Buddy Morales with a pitch and David Flores followed with a two run homer to center. He struck out the next two hitters and got the third out on a fly ball to left.
Dorsett came on to pitch the ninth, and after plunking Gary Johnson with a pitch, he breezed through the next three hitters. Johnson, who was plunked twice, has been hit 18 times this year. He was hit once on Friday.
Nevada took a 2-0 lead in the first when Williams singled, moved to second on Krukow's single and scored on Bowman's single to right. Shawn Scobee followed with a sacrifice fly to right, scoring Krukow.
The Hornets came back with a run in the third when Morales singled and moved to second on Flores' single. Devin Spurling moved both runners over with a sacrifice bunt and Jim Strombach plated Morales with a sacrifice fly.
Lively and Rodriguez took over at that point, each making key pitches to get out of jams. That lasted until the eighth when Flores hit the aforementioned homer.
Notes: Nevada will honor its six seniors prior to today's game - pitchers Tim Schoeninger, Travis Sutton, Adam Colton, Wesley Dorsett, Chris Scott and Scobee ... Nevada is undecided on today's starting pitcher. Normally Sutton starts either the Saturday or Sunday game, but a tight-lipped Powers said Sutton wouldn't start, nor would he be available. Sources close to the team said something happened last weekend in Fresno that apparently got Sutton in the doghouse ... Two Hornets extended hitting streaks. Everit Rincon has a 6-game streak and Morales has hit safely in four games ... Hornets coach John Smith missed the final 6-plus innings when he was ejected by third-base umpire Kelly Gonzales after disputing the call on Bowman's steal of second in the third inning ... Wolf Pack basketball star Nick Fazekas was in attendance and signed several autographs during the game. Fazekas is expected to attend individual workouts for several teams in the upcoming weeks... Bowman has a modest three-game streak, and he's 6-for-15 in that span.
•Contact Darrell Moody at dmoody@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1281