GCU defeated Nevada 12-7 on May 15 at Don Weir Field at Peccole Park in Reno. The win was secured after Trevor Schmidt of GCU hit a three-run home run in the top of the sixth inning, giving his team a lead they would maintain for the rest of the game.
The result is significant as it marks a comeback victory for GCU (20-30, 10-13 Mountain West), who scored in each inning from the fifth through ninth and overcame a two-run deficit against Nevada (24-25, 13-10 Mountain West).
Schmidt’s homer came off Nevada reliever Jordan Giacomini, who took the loss and fell to a record of 3-4 after allowing three runs in one inning. GCU also added solo home runs from Tanner Johns and Vince Bianchina to extend their advantage. On offense for Nevada, Junhyuk Kwon started the scoring with a two-run homer in the second inning followed by Jackson Waller’s back-to-back shot to left field. Waller ended his night going three-for-four with two RBIs and contributed an RBI single in the third.
Jacob Doyle added another highlight for Nevada with a three-run home run that temporarily put them ahead 7-5. However, Wolf Pack hitters were largely shut down over the final six innings by GCU reliever Garret Ahern, who earned his second win of the season by striking out five batters and giving up just three hits.
Schmidt finished with four RBIs on three hits while Mito Perez also had three hits for GCU. For Nevada, Kwon was two-for-four with two RBIs. Eric Valdez provided relief pitching for Nevada by striking out five batters and allowing only one run over more than three innings.
The teams are scheduled to complete their regular season series with a rubber game on Saturday at 1:05 p.m.
