RENO - It's a safe bet that Chad McCardell won't be getting any Christmas cards from anybody connected with the Nevada baseball team this year.
McCardell, one of the three-man umpiring crew for the Nevada-Hawai'i series this weekend, has made two controversial calls the last two days, and both have gone against the Wolf Pack. A call in Friday's opener resulted in the ejection of assistant coaches Stan Stulte and Jay Uhlman. The latter missed Saturday's game because he bumped McCardell.
On Saturday, McCardell, working at third base, ruled that a ball hit by Chris Gimenez in the eighth was foul. The Wolf Pack trailed 9-7 at the time, and the hit would have tied the game and given the Wolf Pack momentum.
Gimenez struck out on the next pitch, and the Wolf Pack bullpen gave up four runs in the ninth en route to a 13-7 loss to the Rainbows before an announced crowd of 1,274 at Peccole Park.
Nevada coach Gary Powers was diplomatic after the game, and you know he was biting his tongue because he spent the better part of the ninth inning barking at McCardell.
"From where I was standing (it was fair)," Powers said. "I wouldn't have argued if I didn't think that the ball had gone past the bag in fair territory. I'm not going to get into that.
"We had other opportunities (to score). We swung at some bad pitches when we had opportunities to score. Two or three times we struck out on bad pitches."
And, as Powers was quick to point out, Nevada's bullpen didn't get the job done, either, allowing four runs in the ninth off Brandon Gottier, Jim McCarthy and Darrick Cummings after Gimenez's strikeout.
The big blow in the four-run uprising in the ninth came off the bat of Rocky Russo, whose two-run double made it 12-7. Russo tied a career high with five RBI with two doubles and two singles in his five at-bats.
Nevada had a chance to score in the ninth, but Bake Krukow was thrown out at third trying to advance on Bub Madrid's single to right. Robert Marcial flied to right to end the game.
All told, Nevada's bullpen surrendered 12 runs on 14 hits after starter Chris Scott left in the fourth after walking the first two batters of the inning.
Scott got the start after scheduled starter Adam Colton came down with a sore arm 10 minutes before the game started, so Scott had to hurry up and get ready.
Scott allowed a run on five hits before giving way to Bryan Johnson, who retired the next three hitters.
Gimenez gave Nevada a 2-1 lead with a homer over the left-center field fence off Stephen Bryant.
Hawai'i scored three in the fifth off Johnson and added two more in the sixth off Brian Simpson to make it 6-2. Russo drove in three of the runs with a two-run single and a bases-loaded walk.
Gimenez cut the lead to 6-4 with his second homer of the game off Bryant, another long shot to left-centerfield. It was his 12th of the season, tying his career high set last season.
Matt Inouye gave the Rainbows some breathing room with a two-out, three-run homer off McCarthy in the seventh to make it 9-5.
Jacob Butler drove home one in the seventh off reliever Guy McDowell to make it 9-6. Darrell Fisherbaugh came on and worked out of a bases-loaded situation to end the inning.
After Marcial doubled home Madrid to make it 9-7 in the eighth, the Wolf Pack loaded the bases with no outs. Joe Mercer grounded into a double play, setting the stage for Gimenez, who had a three-homer game against Hawai'i last year.
With the count 2-1, Gimenez lashed the next pitch down the line which was ruled foul by McCardell. Gimenez struck out on a slider that appeared to be either on the corner or just off the plate.
"I knew the slider was coming, and I was out in front," he said. "I was just trying to fight the pitch off.
"I wasn't thinking about that (third homer). Coach probably felt it was in the back of my mind."
Notes: Carson grad Owen Brolsma had the Tommy John surgery performed by James Andrews last Thursday in Birmingham, Ala. Brolsma starts the long rehab process, and he isn't scheduled to throw off the mound until next February. It's expected that he will redshirt next season ... The final game of the series will be played today at 1 with Ryan Rodriguez starting for the Wolf Pack.
Contact Darrell Moody at dmoody@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1281.
