The University of Nevada baseball team lost game two of its three-game series at UC Riverside 12-8 Friday at the Riverside Sports Complex in Riverside, Calif. After falling 8-4 to the Highlanders on Thursday the Wolf Pack are 2-3 after dropping two in a row while Riverside improved to 2-0.
Dayton's Matt Bowman left the game after injuring his right shoulder sliding into second base in the fourth inning. Bowman said the injury isn't serious, but that it should take a couple of days to heal, so it's unlikely he'll play in today's series finale at Riverside. But Bowman should be able to return when Nevada next plays this Friday at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Bowman was 2-for-2 before having to leave the game.
After Nevada wasted an opportunity in the top of the first inning leaving two runners on base Riverside scored three in the bottom of the inning to go in front 3-0. Mike Vass, who formerly played for Nevada, gained revenge against his former team as he delivered the big blow hitting a two-run homer over the left field fence to score the second and third runs of the game.
The Highlanders sent eight batters to the plate in the bottom of the second and three scored to extend their lead to 6-0. Three different Riverside hitters drove in a run in the inning. Riverside loaded the bases in the bottom of the third but with one down junior right-hander Ben Colton came out of the bullpen to record the final two outs.
The Pack got on the scoreboard in the top of the fourth scoring a single run on three hits. With two down Shaun Kort doubled off the right field wall and scored on Mike Hale's RBI single to right field to make the score 6-1.
In the bottom of the fourth the Highlanders got the run back on an RBI single by Kyle Barratt. The Pack turned a 5-2-3 double play to keep Riverside from extending its lead further than 7-1.
Three more runs by Riverside in the bottom of the fifth and two more in the bottom of the seventh gave the Highlanders a 12-1 advantage.
Nevada scored six runs in the top of the eighth to close within five at 12-7. Kort drove in two of the runs in the big inning. Designated hitter Jacob Kaup, Chris Siewert, and pinch hitter Cody Fierro each drove in a run in the inning. Konrad Schmidt's first home run in a Pack uniform in the top of the ninth made the final score 12-8.
Pack starter Rod Scurry (0-1) of Galena, the first of four Nevada pitchers on the day, was tagged with the loss after allowing six runs on eight hits in his 2.1 innings on the mound. Riverside starter James Simmons (1-0) got the win after giving up just one run on five hits in his five innings of action.
Schmdit, Kort and Siewart all also had twho hits for Nevada. Five Riverside hitters collected more than one hit in the game. Designated hitter Nick Salotti had a game-high four hits and drove in a pair. Carl Uhl went 3-for-3 and drove in a run and Vass was 2-for-4 with three RBI.
Notes: Starting catcher Baker Krukow also left the game after being hit in his left elbow while batting in the sixth.