It wasn't easy, but the Nevada Bighorns summer college baseball team finally held on for a win against the Southern Oregon Riverdawgs on Thursday at Western Nevada College's John L. Harvey Field.
After losing the first two games of the series, the Bighorns salvaged a split of Thursday's doubleheader by holding on for a 6-5 win in the nightcap.
The Riverdawgs won the opener of the doubleheader 4-2 after winning the opener of the series on Wednesday 2-1.
The Bighorns are now 5-10 in the West Coast League while the Riverdawgs are 7-5.
Winning pitcher Derek Mayer, who struck out eight over 6.1 innings, carried a 6-3 lead into the bottom of the seventh inning for the Bighorns.
Mayer, though, was chased in the seventh after the Riverdawgs cut the deficit to 6-4 and had runners at first and second with one out. Cavin Hill came on and induced a comebacker, but made an errant throw to second on what should have been a game-ending double play. The play left the bases loaded with one out. Hill got two flyballs to end the game and picked up the save.
The Bighorns took a 1-0 lead in the first when Tyson Jaquez doubled and scored on Jeff Young's single.
The Bighorns went up 3-2 in the third after Travis Ice doubled and Jaquez reached on an infield single. Ice scored on an error and Young followed with an RBI single.
Kevin Schlange sparked the Bighorns' game-winning three-run rally in the sixth with a triple. Royal Good followed with an RBI single, Ice hit an RBI double and Jaquez had an RBI single that made it 6-3.
Jaquez had three hits, Schlange, Ice and Young each had two hits and Jay Skilton added a hit for the Bighorns.
Tyler May pitched well enough to win the opener but was the tough-luck loser. He allowed two earned runs over six innings in his complete-game effort.
The Riverdawgs took a 1-0 lead on an infield single in the fourth and scored two unearned runs on a misplayed flyball to take a 3-0 lead in the fifth.
Sam Feiner almost gave the Bighorns a 4-3 lead with one swing of the bat in the sixth.
Mike Stiles and Schlange each singled and Eric Maupin walked to load the bases. Feiner nearly hit a grandslam, sending a shot that hit off the left centerfield fence. Maupin tried to score all the way from first, but was nailed at the plate to end the inning.
Feiner ended up with a two-run double that pulled the Bighorns to within 3-2.
In the bottom of the sixth, a Riverdawg runner was able to score all the way from second on a comebacker to May with runners at first and second and one out. May threw a little late to second and the Bighorns were unable to turn what could have been an inning-ending double play.
Schlange had two hits, including a double, and Shane Kockenmeister
added a hit for the Bighorns.
There has been a change in the schedule for the remainder of the series.
The teams will play a single game at 5 p.m. today at John Harvey Field and then will play a noon doubleheader Saturday.