Following the series opener versus the University of San Francisco, the Gauchos continued their stretch into their one-game series against Loyola Marymount University and their home opener with the University of Nevada.
Siavash Ghadiri / Daily Nexus
Beginning with their mid-week game against LMU, the Gauchos batted the ball around the field with great success. In the game, the Gauchos won 18-7, managing 19 hits and 11 walks across the 9 innings.
A couple key contributors in the game included sophomore outfielder Broc Mortensen, junior utility player Christian Kirtley, sophomore infielder Jordan Sprinkle and sophomore infielder Leo Mosby.
Mortensen gathered 4 RBIs with a grand slam in the top of the ninth inning that put the game out of reach, making the score 15-7 following the home run.
A draft prospect and the Gauchos’ shortstop, Sprinkle managed a productive day at the plate, getting on base 5 out of 6 plate appearances while coming across for 2 runs.
The Gauchos responded to a big-hitting day with a pitching masterpiece en route to a home debut victory 4-1 against Nevada.
Starting pitcher, sophomore Cory Lewis, pitched 6 innings of no-hit baseball while racking up 11 strikeouts and issuing 4 walks.
Although the Gauchos’ hitting wasn’t as productive, they managed to get timely hits at the right time in the ballgame.
Starting in the second inning, sophomore infielder Nick Oakley’s double into right center scored Mortensen, followed by a sacrifice fly to center field to score Oakley.
After a solo home run from the wolfpack in the seventh inning, it was the last runs of the game for them. The Gauchos tacked on another 2 runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, and the game was closed by sophomore right-handed pitcher Ryan Harvey on the mound.
Game 2 against Nevada was a different story for the Gauchos, in which they took the 5-4 come-from-behind loss.
It was a well-pitched starting debut for transfer sophomore left-handed pitcher Mike Gutierrez, going 5 innings, collecting 5 strikeouts and giving up 3 runs, with only 1 being earned.
After the Gauchos gained the lead 2-0 through the first two innings of the game, the wolfpack managed to rally to a 3-2 lead heading into the bottom of the fifth inning.
However, in the bottom of the fifth inning, junior infielder Kyle Johnson hit a solo home run to tie up the game, followed by another RBI single in the seventh inning to make it a 4-3 Gaucho lead.
It was a short-lived lead as Nevada regained the lead in the next half-inning off a 2-RBI single that proved to be enough for the 1-run victory.
The players had short memory of the loss, coming out hot en route to their 12-6 series clinching victory versus Nevada in Game 3.
Within the first 2 innings, the Gauchos managed to put up a 9-run lead, with Nevada’s starting pitcher not making it a full inning.
With the game being 12-2 by the top of the eighth inning, the Gauchos had done enough to hold the game in the latter 2 innings, holding off the wolfpack’s 4-run rally to take home the 12-6 victory.
The Gauchos will bounce off this series win to take on the Oregon Ducks at their opponent’s field in a 4-game series this upcoming weekend.
A version of this article appeared on p. 9 of the Mar. 3, 2022 print edition of the Daily Nexus.
