Nevada eliminated by Alabama in NCAA regional baseball tourney

STANFORD, Calif. - Darrell Rasner did his part in moving Nevada along in their NCAA regional baseball tournament on Saturday, but the Pack's crumbled in their second game later that evening and dropped out.

Kelly Gulledge's two-run home run in the top of the eighth inning Saturday night lifted Alabama to a 6-5, come-from-behind victory over Nevada.

Nevada had advanced to that game by beating Fresno State 13-5 that morning on the strength of a solid performance by the freshman Rasner, a Carson High grad. Rasner pitched 5 innings, surrendering two runs while giving up six hits and six walks. He left in the sixth with Nevada holding a 9-2 lead.

Nevada added four more in the seventh and cruised to the victory, knocking the Bulldogs (40-21) out of the tourney.

The Wolf Pack pounded 17 hits, including Jarel McIntyre's three-run blast in the first inning and two-run homer by Joe Inglett in a four-run seventh.

Nevada followed its first inning flurry with two runs in the second on a double by Alex Rangel. The Wolf pack added single runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings.

Fresno State scored twice in the third inning on an RBI single Beau Hintz and fielder's choice by Brad Harper. Brandon Gemoll hit a solo homer in the seventh.

The Bulldogs also scored twice in the eighth when Josh Labandeira hit a line drive single to right field that passed outfielder Josh Laidlaw.

It didn't go so well in the second game for Nevada, which blew a big lead against the Crimson Tide.

Alabama (40-23) eliminated the Wolf Pack (38-19) and earned a rematch with Stanford this afternoon to determine who will advance to next weekend's Super Regional.

The Tide (40-23) fell behind 5-0 as Nevada (38-19) scored once in the second inning on Inglett's RBI single and four times in the third on an error and run-scoring singles by Laidlaw, Joey Herrera and Inglett.

Alabama broke through against Wolf Pack starter Matthew Rainer with four runs in the sixth inning on an RBI single by Sam Bozanich, a wild pitch on a swinging third strike that allowed a run to score and a fielding error by first baseman Don Price that let two runs come in.

Then in the eighth, Rainer gave up a leadoff walk to Brent Boyd. One out later, Gulledge launched a pitch over the left-field wall to put the Tide ahead.

Alabama reliever Jonathan Blankenship (6-6) allowed no runs in 6 1/3 innings to get the win.