The University of Nevada baseball team completed the three-game series and six-game season Western Athletic Conference sweep of New Mexico State with a 10-4 victory in Las Cruces, N.M.
The Wolf Pack, which have won seven straight, are now 24-26 on the season and 11-12 in WAC play while the Aggies fell to 19-36 on the year and 6-18 in conference play. Saturday's victory secured the Wolf Pack the fourth seed in next week's six-team conference tournament at Pete Beiden Field in Fresno, Calif.
Shawn Scobee hit two two-run home runs and Dayton's Matt Bowman went 1-fof-3 with a home run and three runs scored for Nevada. Bowman is now hitting. .369 (73-for-198) on the season.
NMSU got a a two-run homer from Luke Hopkins in the bottom of the first inning to take an 2-0 lead. Pack left fielder Drew Johnson's sacrifice fly to deep center field in the second scored Terry Walsh from third base to make it 2-1. Walsh started the inning with a walk and moved to third on Dan Eastham's single.
Nevada scored three unearned runs in the third inning to go on top 4-2. Scobee delivered the big blow belting a two-out, two-run homer into the teeth of the wind blowing in from left field. Baker Krukow drove in the first run of the inning with a single that Durell Williams. Hopkins' second home run of the game in the bottom of the third made it 4-3.
Scobee hit his second two-out, two-run homer of the game in the fifth that increased the lead to three. The homer scored Bowman who walked. The Aggies got one of the runs back in their half of the fifth when Hopkins scored on designated hitter Derek Maytubby's sacrifice fly and it was 6-4.
Eastham doubled to start the sixth and chased Aggie starter Beto Romo from the game. Johnson then deposited the first pitch he saw from reliever Dillon Smith over the left center field fence and the Pack were on top 8-4. Bowman hit a solo home run over the center field fence in the seventh to make the score 9-4. Nevada scored its final run of the game in the ninth when Eastham singled home Bowman to make the final score 10-4.
Pack starter Travis Sutton (5-3) got the win allowing four runs on 10 hits. Matt Renfree earned the save pitching four shutout innings as he allowed just one hit and struck out a career-high seven. Romo (2-2) took the loss allowing seven runs, four earned in five innings of action.
Scobee now has a WAC leading 20 homers. The 20 is also the third most in a season at Nevada. Eastham finished with a team-high three hits while Krukow totaled two hits in the game. Johnson drove in a career-high three runs in the game.
Nevada will now turn its attention to the WAC Tournament which begins on Thursday. The Pack will play San Jose State at 3 p.m. The winner of the tournament will receive the conferences automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.