After winning the first game of the series with a strong offensive start, Nevada went on to win the final two games of the series.
The pitchers in the matchup were Luke Meyers for WSU and Jordan Giacomini for the Wolfpack.
Each match of the series felt like a different script, but Sunday’s game showed the struggles to bring runners in for the Cougars. 16 runners were stranded, and it cost the Cougars in their seven-run loss.
WSU middle infielder Gavin Roy ducks low for a catch against Nevada baseball, March 29, 2026.
It was the second home series of the year for the Cougars, and they couldn’t get the series win against the defending Mountain West champions.
It was a cold, windy, overcast day in Pullman with small amounts of rain throughout the day, and the product on the field followed suit.
The game started with a Nevada run. In the top of the first, two free bases were handed out from Luke Meyers, when one of them was brought in by infielder Sean Yamaguchi on an infield single. The inning would end shortly after, but the Cougars defense would still struggle to prevent runs each inning.
In the bottom of the first, shortstop Gavin Roy smoked a lead off double. Following him, a free pass to Mason Pirello would put two runners on. In small-ball fashion, a sacrifice bunt would move them into scoring positions. WSU managed to bring them in, when Ollie Obenour hit a deep single into left field to score both runners. The Cougars grabbed their first lead of the day at 2-1.
Both offenses wouldn’t score until the third inning, when Nevada’s hitting burst with three runs. A lead off home run by Jyunhuk Kwon was followed by offensive pressure on Meyers. A single brought in another run, and then the final run came from a sacrifice fly ball.
The Cougars were down 4-2 after the top of the third and scored one in the bottom on a fielder’s choice RBI by Cole Watterson. The Cougars real fight came in the bottom of the fourth. One runner would come in to score from a Pirello double, leading to a pitching change. Dominic Desch for Nevada came in for relief, but his pitches were wild which led to Pirello scoring the final run of the game for the Cougars. After the Cougars took the 5-4 lead, they wouldn’t take it back or score the rest of the game.
WSU catcher Alexandre Giguère runs to first base against Nevada baseball, March 29, 2026.
In the next two innings, the Wolfpack would score eight runs with six coming in the top of the fifth. Trevor Stowe, Taber Fast, and Ryland Haider combined for the runs given up in the two innings. The runs seemed to take the wind out of the sails of the Cougars and Bailey-Brayton Field.
In the next five innings to score from the bottom of the fifth to the ninth, the Cougars left seven runners on base. The worst of which had the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh. With the opportunity to get the game closer, Pirello went down looking in the last great chance to score.
Nevada reliever Eric Valdez went four scoreless innings to finish the game, and grab the series win for the Wolfpack.
The Cougars now fall to 11-15 and 5-4 in conference play. WSU’s next matchup is moving to the west-side of the state against Seattle University at 4 p.m. Wednesday.
