Rasner pitchers well, but loses

Carson High graduate Darrell Rasner gave the University of Nevada baseball team another solid effort in what could have been his final game with the Wolf Pack.

But as has happened much of the time this year, Rasner was on the losing end despite providing a strong start. Rasner allowed three earned runs through seven innings, but Nevada fell 7-2 at San Jose State on Saturday in its season finale.

Rasner, a junior right-hander, will be taken in the Major League draft, which will be held on June 4. It's still unkown where Rasner will be drafted and if he'll decide to sign instead of coming back for his senior year.

While it's still highly speculative at this point, there have been Major League teams who have reportedly told Rasner they are talking about drafting him in the first round. Rasner would command a seven-figure signing bonus if he's drafted in the first round.

Against the Spartans, Rasner wasn't as sharp as usual, walking four and hitting three batters while giving up six hits. He also only struck out three as he fell short of the single-season school record for strikeouts at 113. Rasner finished with 109 strikeouts in 104 2/3 innings.

Rasner (6-8) currently holds the school career record for wins (28), innings pitched (341) and strikeouts (302).

While Rasner was charged with three earned runs, he should have only been charged with two. He was the victim of bad luck and poor defense in the fifth inning.

Nevada was leading 2-1 and Rasner had retired nine straight when center fielder Chris Dickerson misplayed a flyball that was ruled a double. Rasner hit the next batter, but then induced what looked like an inning-ending double play ball to shortstop Taylor Pullins.

But the ball took a bad hop and Pullins was charged with an error. A two-run single followed to give the Spartans a 3-2 lead.

San Jose State went on to make a base running mistake and catcher Craig Markel picked off the runner, which based on the scoring should have been the third out of the inning.

After that, there was another RBI single which made it 4-2. Rasner was charged with two earned runs in the inning, when he should have been charged with just one.

With the three earned runs charged to Rasner, he finished the year with a 3.70 earned run average.

The Spartans broke open the game in the eighth off of Bryan Johnson, who was roughed up for three runs.

Rasner walked two and allowed a single that loaded the bases in the first. He allowed another single that scored a run, but received some defensive help from left fielder Chris Gimenez, who nailed the runner from second trying to score at the plate on the play for the third out of the inning.

Nevada tied the game in the third on Dickerson's RBI single and took a 2-1 lead in the fourth when Mike Hass scored on a wild pitch.