Eric Maupin probably summed up the feeling of the entire Nevada Bighorns team Saturday afternoon.
"It's good to get a couple of wins," said the former Galena High and WNC star. "It's been a tough season so far. It's looking like we're starting to pick it up a bit."
On the heels of Friday's 8-6 win over the division-leading San Francisco Seagulls, Maupin pitched eight strong innings to lead the Bighorns to a 7-4 victory in the first game of the doubleheader.
The second game was considered a non-league game, and the Seagulls walked away with an 11-2 win.
The two wins give Nevada a 3-16 overall record and snapped an eight-game losing streak in the process. The Bighorns will take to the road next week with a game against the Auburn Cats and three against the Yuba Gold Sox.
"It was a good weekend," said head coach Dennis Young. "They're a good team. They are leading the division and we knocked them off twice. Eric pitched really well."
Maupin made it look pretty easy. He struck out eight and walked one. He gave up single runs in the second, fifth, seventh and eighth innings. Ryan Buscemi threw a scoreless ninth to pick up the save.
"I'm still trying to get in shape pitching-wise," said Maupin, whose pitching at New Mexico Highlands was limited by an injury this season. "I'm getting there."
After the Seagulls picked up a run in the top of the second, the Bighorns struck for five in the bottom of the inning.
Adam Anderson walked and was replaced on the basepaths by Carson Blumenthal. Jeff Young laid down a bunt, and the Seagull pitcher threw wide of second. Tyler Evanoff singled to load the bases. Kyle Dodge walked, forcing in a run. After Matt Page fanned, Jesse Grace walked to force in another run. Ryan Humphrey followed with a groundball to third that resulted in a two-run error to make it 4-1. Taylor Banks singled in the final run of the inning.
The Bighorns extended the lead to 6-1 in the fourth when Humphrey doubled and scored on a single by Scott Young.
Erin Miravalles singled to right in the fifth to make it 6-2, and Dom Ferrando singled home a run in the top of the seventh to make it 6-3.
Dodge got that run back for the Bighorns back with a run-scoring double in the bottom of the seventh to make it 7-3.
Maupin, who threw 105 pitches through seven innings, gave up another run in the eighth after retiring the first two hitters of the inning.
"I was definitely getting tired," Maupin said.
Evanoff, Dodge and Humphrey all had two hits in the win.
In the second game, Kyle Dodge hit an inside-the-park homer and Jesse Grace had a run-scoring single. Scott Hastings contributed two hits in the defeat.