Reno - Carson High graduate Joe Mercer's second home run helped spark an 11-run rally as the University of Nevada baseball team came back to beat the Rainbows 17-10 on Friday at Peccole Park.
With the win the Wolf Pack improved to 29-25 overall and 13-12 in Western Athletic Conference play while the Rainbows fell to 29-20 on the season and 12-12 in conference play. The two schools have now split the four games played this season. The Wolf Pack took over second place in the WAC with the win.
Mercer went 3-for-5 with four RBI and three runs scored and is now hitting .331 (44-for-133) with seven home runs and 41 RBI on the season.
Nevada trailed 10-6 heading into the bottom of the eighth inning but scored 11 runs on eight hits to go in front 17-10. Mercer started the inning by hitting his second home run of the game to make it 10-7. Walks to Chris Gimenez, and designated hitter Baker Krukow were followed by an infield single by Erick Streelman which loaded the bases for Bub Madrid. Madrid singled home two runs to make it a one run game at 10-9. A walk to Robert Marcial again loaded the bases, this time for Brian Gazerro, who delivered a single that scored two runs to make it 11-10. Brett Hayes' sacrifice fly scored Marcial and Jacob Butler hit his WAC leading 16th home run of the season to make it 14-10. The final three runs of the big inning scored when Streelman's double cleared the bases.
Hawai'i scored a run in the first on Jaziel Mendoza's RBI single but Nevada responded on Mercer's three-run homer in the bottom of the inning to give Nevada a 3-1 lead. The Rainbows' Isaac Omura and Nate Thurber hit solo home runs in the second to tie the score at 3-3. In the third Hawai'i scored three runs on three hits to go back in front 6-3.
A home run by Gimenez and a two-run shot by Streelman in the fourth again tied the game at 6-6. Hawai'i got a run in the fifth to break the tie and added three more runs in the eighth to increase its lead to 10-6 before Nevada's explosion in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Reliever Patrick Mason allowed three runs, two earned on three hits in 3.2 innings on the mound to earn the win and improve to 5-3 on the season. Darrell Fisherbaugh (0-3) the third of five Rainbows pitchers used in the game was tagged with the loss after surrendering six runs on five hits. He retired just one batter.
Streelman had a career high four hits and equaled his career high with five RBI to lead the Nevada offense. Gimenez each added two hits. With his 16 home runs, Butler now ranks sixth in school history for a season and his 28 career home runs ties him with former teammate Tony Cappuccilli (2000-03) for seventh all-time at Nevada. Gimenez' 26 career home runs ranks 10th all-time in school history.
Mendoza, Andrew Sansaver and Omura led the Rainbows with three hits each. Omura drove in a team high four runs.
Game two of the three-game series is scheduled for 1 p.m. today.
