Graham, Nevada erupt for 27 runs in win

The hit parade concluded with a bang for the University of Nevada baseball team in a 27-9 win at Louisiana Tech on Saturday.

Nevada scored 55 runs in the three-game series as the Wolf Pack (18-17, 4-5 in the Western Athletic Conference) swept Louisiana Tech (12-25, 3-9).

The Wolf Pack took advantage of 23 hits and 20 walks to score 27 runs against the Bulldogs. The 20 walks and 27 runs allowed are both school records for Louisiana Tech.

Douglas High graduate Austin Graham continued his hot hitting as he went 3-for-5 with three walks and three RBI. Graham would have been 4-for-5 had he not been robbed on a line drive to left centerfield. Graham is now hitting .333 (7-for-21) with nine RBI on the season.

Carson High graduate Joe Mercer started at third base and went 1-for-3 with two walks and three runs scored. Mercer is now hitting .347 on the year (25-for-72). Carson graduate Owen Brolsma didn't allow a run in two-thirds of an inning of work.

Patrick Mason pitched 2.1 scoreless innings for the win. Robert Marcial, Brett Hayes, Jacob Butler, Eric Newman, Ben Mummy, Chris Gimenez, Tino Psaradelis, Graham and Bub Madrid all had at least two hits for Nevada. Gimenez and Madrid also had three hits.

Gimenez had six RBI, four of them coming on a grand slam home run during a nine-run fifth inning that blew the game wide open and gave the Wolf Pack a 14-3 lead. It was the seventh homer of the year for Gimenez. Butler also hit his eighth homer of the year and Hayes hit his sixth homer of the season.

Nevada jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first as Hayes hit a two-run shot. Mercer then doubled and scored on a Gimenez single.

The Wolf Pack took a 6-2 lead in the fourth when Butler hit a two-run shot. Gimenez also had another RBI single in the inning. The damage would have been worse had Graham not been robbed by centerfielder Jeremy Alford, who made a diving catch on Graham's line drive to left center.

Nevada added seven runs in the seventh, with Graham hitting an RBI single during the rally. Marcial also had a three-run double during the inning.

The Wolf Pack added four runs in the eighth, with Graham belting a two-run double during the inning. Nevada took a 27-5 lead in the ninth when Mummy scored on a wild pitch.

Starting pitcher Ryan Rodriguez was lifted in the fifth and was charged with five runs through four innings. Brolsma came in for Rodriguez with runners at second and third and no outs.

Brolsma uncorked a wild pitch to force in a run, but then settled down to retire the next two batters. Brolsma was lifted for Mason, who allowed an RBI single before shutting down the Bulldogs for the rest of his stay.