FRESNO, Calif. - Three weeks ago, Fresno State sweept Nevada, outscoring the Wolf Pack by a combined 46-12.
Nevada would like nothing more than to return the favor when it faces the Bulldogs in the winner's bracket final of the Western Athletic Conference today at 11.
The Wolf Pack got there in impressive fashion, getting a grandslam from Drew Johnson and a three-run shot from David Ciarlo en route to a 10-3 win over Hawai'i Friday night at Beiden Field.
Nevada coach Gary Powers said the three-game whipping the Pack suffered should be out of the minds of his players.
"I certainly hope so," Powers said. "We're not the same team we were three weeks ago. We have just as good a chance as they do to win the tournament."
The million dollar question is who will start today against the red-hot Bulldogs, who have won 13 straight games. Powers said he and pitching coach Stan Stulte will hash things out and reach a decision. Travis Sutton, Matt Renfree, Chris Scott and lefty Patrick Mason would be the logical choices.
One thing is certain, if Nevada keeps hitting like it has been, who Powers pitches may not make a huge difference. Nevada has scored 10 or more runs in four straight games, and eight of last night's runs came with two outs.
"Fortunately we got key hits when we needed to," Powers said. "That's how we got the lead. We don't have much time to worry (about Fresno State). We're happy to have the opportunity. The kids have worked hard.
"He (Ryan Rodriguez) made quality pitches when he needed to. It was a combination of timely hitting and pitching."
Powers has stressed this is a different team, and Hawai'i coach Mike Trapasso certainly agreed.
"Justin (Costi) apparently can't pitch off this mound. His only two losses (in conference) have been here. He didn't have good command.
"You have to credit Nevada. When I saw them last night (in the first round), they were not the same team we saw a few weeks ago. They are playing very well offensively. We didn't make the pitches we needed to. It was a great effort by Rodriguez."
For the second straight night, Nevada pushed across a run in the first inning when leadoff hitter Durrell Williams lined Costi's fourth pitch off the scoreboard.
"That took the edge off," Powers said of Williams' first-inning blast.
The Pack did put runners on first and second, but Terry Walsh grounded into a 6-4-3 double play.
After striking out the side in the second, Nevada exploded for six runs off Costi to pad its lead to 7-0.
Ryan Foley doubled to right-center field, moved to third on Williams' single and scored on Bake Krukow's infield out. Shawn Scobee walked and Terry Walsh delivered a single, scoring Williams. Dan Eastham walked to load the bases for the hot-hitting Johnson.
The Reno grad didn't disappoint, slamming the first pitch from Costi over the right-center field fence for his first grandslam. It was the third straight game that Johnson has homered, and he's driven in 10 runs in that span.
"He threw me a pitch I was looking for," Johnson said. "I thought he would throw a fastball on the first pitch. I heard coach (Jay) Uhlman to be ready to hit."
Costi left after walking Ciarlo. Reliever Matt Daly retired the next two hitters.
Johnson has made some good strides from last year when he collected only one hit the entire season and was a forgotten man on the Nevada bench. Of his 14 career hits, five have been homers.
"He's done a nice job of taking advantage of his opportunities," Powers said. "He is seeing the ball well right now."
Hawai'i made it 7-1 in the fourth when Rodriguez walked Luis Avila, who scored on Eli Christiansen's two-out double to right field.
The score stayed that way until the top of the seventh when Rodriguez, who threw 125 pitches, struggled.
He retired the first batter, but walked two of the next three to load the bases. Matt Inouye, who left the bases full in the fifth, sliced a two-run double to right to make it 7-3.
That was it for Rodriguez, who walked five and struck out eight. His eight strikeouts moved him to No. 4 on the all-time strikeout list. He didn't work nearly as fast as he wanted, but was effective nonetheless.
"It was my most exciting start; the atmosphere," Rodriguez said. "There was so much on the line. I tried to take it like any other start though.
"When we got the lead in the third or fourth inning, I was just trying to throw strikes. I was hitting it (the outside corner) with two pitches."
Dorsett came on and struck out Esteban Lopez on three pitches to end the inning.
Nevada added to is lead in the eighth when Scobee and Walsh walked. After two outs, Ciarlo blasted a homer to straightaway center for a 10-3 lead.