The Nevada Wolf Pack sure knows how to close out a series.
The Wolf Pack rallied for a pair of two-out runs Monday afternoon in the bottom of the ninth inning to stun the Kansas Jayhawks 9-8 in the final game of a four-day, four-game season-opening series in Mesa, Ariz.
Pinch-hitter Brad Gerig drilled a two-out, two-run double, scoring Lance Berringer from third and pinch-runner Curtis Frisbee from first to put the finishing touches on the dramatic victory at Hohokam Stadium.
The Pack, now 2-2, will open its home schedule on Friday at Peccole Park against Northern Illinois.
Pack coach Gary Powers pulled all the right strings to get the victory in the ninth, sending in a pinch-runner and two pinch-hitters. And all three played a huge part in the victory.
The Wolf Pack entered the bottom of the ninth trailing 8-7. Berringer led off the inning with a single to left field on a 1-2 pitch off Kansas reliever Robert Kahana. Hugo Hernandez then sacrificed Berringer to second and Scott Kaplan grounded out to first for the second out, moving Berringer to third.
Barger, pinch-hitting for catcher Ryan Teel, who was 2-for-2 with two RBI, then coaxed a key walk off Kahana after falling behind 0-2 in the count. Gerig, pinch-hitting for Shaun Mize, then sent an 0-1 pitch from Kahana to left for the game-winning double.
Michael Fain earned the victory for the Pack, pitching the final three innings. Fain allowed three hits and two runs but pitched a scoreless ninth to keep the Pack close. Kansas had gone ahead with a run in the eighth inning off Fain to break a 7-7 tie.
The Wolf Pack pulled into a 1-1 tie with a run in the bottom of the first on a sacrifice fly by Austin Byler, scoring Jamison Rowe. Rowe walked, stole second and went to third when Brooks Klein reached base on a Kansas error.
The Pack also tied the game at 2-2 with a run in the second. Rowe doubled to start the inning and later scored on a single by Klein.
Kansas, though, jumped out ahead 6-2 with a run in the fourth and three in the fifth. Wolf Pack starter Mark Reece lasted just 3.2 innings and allowed six hits and three runs. Barry Timko then came on and allowed three runs on four walks in the fifth.
Reliever Colby Blueberg, though, did a nice job of slowing down the Jayhawks, allowing just a hit, a walk and no runs in 1.1 innings. Fain then went the final three innings.
The Pack pulled within 6-5 with a pair of runs in the sixth as Huge Hernandez doubled in Berringer and Teel doubled in Hernandez.
Klein, Berringer, Hernandez and Teel each had two hits. The Pack had 13 hits and Kansas had 10.
