Nevada cruises; Whitt pitches scoreless inning

RENO — The Nevada baseball team used a clean effort in all phases of the game to defeat Saint Mary’s for the second time in as many days. Senior RHP Jason Deitrich allowed one run in seven innings and the 28th-ranked Wolf Pack downed the Gaels, 8-1 on Wednesday evening at Peccole Park.

Deitrich collected his team-best sixth win of the season and kept the Gaels quiet throughout. The 6-foot-6 righty allowed five base runners in seven innings and walked one compared to five strikeouts. Junior Bryce Greager went 3-of-4 with three extra base hits and senior Kyle Hunt hit his eighth career home run.

Nevada improved to 35-11 overall with consecutive wins over the Gaels (22-22) before a seven-game road-trip over the next two weeks. Nevada went 4-1 after playing five games in six days. The Wolf Pack is now 21-3 at Peccole this season, boasting the 10th best home win-loss percentage in Division I.

“It was a good job all around from our guys and I was pleased with our play in all phases today,” said head coach Jay Johnson. “Deitrich was spectacular, as usual.”

Both teams were held scoreless in the first two frames before Nevada broke the stalemate in the bottom third. The Pack recorded three straight two-out singles to take a 2-0 lead. Ryan Howell and Austin Byler each singled and reached scoring positions before Trenton Brooks drove in both with a single through the right side.

The Gaels trimmed the Pack’s lead in half with one run in the fifth on a sacrifice fly. Nevada reclaimed momentum in its half of the inning, scoring two runs on three hits to lead, 4-1. Hunt led off with a double before Cal Stevenson singled and got caught in a pickle. Hunt took home on the play, beating the throw at the plate and allowing Stevenson to move to third. Howell then hit a sacrifice fly to left field to score Stevenson.

Hunt scored two more runs for Nevada in the sixth, hitting a two-run homer over the left field fence on two outs. Hunt has three home runs on the season and eight for his career. The Pack scored two more runs with two outs in the seventh as Greager tripled with two runners in scoring position, handing Nevada an 8-1 lead.

Deitrich’s day came to an end after seven innings as junior RHP Sam Held entered in the eighth. The Gaels loaded the bases on an error, single and hit by pitch before freshman LHP Jojo Romero relieved Held with two outs. The lefty from Oxnard, Calif., struck out the first batter he faced to escape the jam unscathed.

Junior right-hander Adam Whitt of Carson City closed the door on the Gaels in the ninth, recording three outs in four at bats.