RENO, Nev. (Interstat) — The Nevada Wolf Pack erupted for seven runs across the fourth and fifth innings Sunday afternoon to break open a close game and complete a three-game series sweep of the Pacific Tigers with a 12-2 victory at William Peccole Park.

The game, which began under afternoon sun and concluded in the evening, saw the Wolf Pack improve to 8-5 on the season, while the Tigers fell to 6-9.

Pacific struck first in the opening inning. Robert Orr singled and later scored on a two-run error by Nevada first baseman Jayce Dobie, giving the Tigers an early 2-0 lead without the benefit of a run batted in.

Nevada answered immediately in the bottom half. Junhyuk Kwon doubled and scored on an RBI single by Lee Matsuzaki, cutting the deficit to 2-1. The Wolf Pack tied the game in the second when Jake Harvey walked, stole second and came home on a fielder’s choice grounder by Rominic Quiban.

The pivotal sequence began in the bottom of the fourth. With the score still tied, Pacific second baseman Rylan Evans committed a fielding error that allowed Quiban to score the go-ahead run. Kwon followed with an RBI double, and Matsuzaki singled him home, capitalizing on the error to plate three unearned runs and take a 5-2 lead. Pacific starter Liam Smith was relieved by Regan Carter after the inning, charged with two earned runs over 3.2 innings.

Nevada broke the game open in the fifth, sending ten men to the plate. Harvey and Jackson Waller singled, and Mikey Cruz Jr. drove in Harvey with a single. Jack Metcho then cleared the bases with a two-run triple down the right field line, and Dobie added a sacrifice fly to center, completing a four-run outburst that extended the lead to 9-2.

The most important part of the game was Nevada’s five-run fourth inning, which transformed a narrow 2-1 contest into a comfortable 5-2 lead. The frame was ignited by Evans’ error, and the Wolf Pack promptly punished the mistake with three consecutive two-out hits from Dobie, Kwon and Matsuzaki. This outburst shifted all momentum decisively to the home side and set the stage for the game-breaking fifth inning.

Pacific managed a final push in the sixth. Pinch-hitter Colin Spear doubled and scored on a double play, and Evans atoned slightly with an RBI single to make it 9-2. Nevada reliever Aiden Pollock entered and struck out Derek Bartra to end the threat.

Nevada added single runs in the sixth and eighth innings. In the sixth, Matsuzaki singled, stole third and scored on a throwing error by Pacific catcher Andrew Sloan. Cruz Jr. then doubled home Harvey. In the eighth, an error by Orr at shortstop led to an unearned run scoring when Metcho was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.

Wolf Pack starter Jordan Giacomini earned the win, allowing two runs on five hits over 5.2 innings, striking out four. Pollock was dominant in relief, striking out three in 1.1 perfect innings. Eric Valdez closed with two strikeouts in a perfect eighth.

Matsuzaki led Nevada’s 12-hit attack, going 4 for 5 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Metcho drove in three runs, while Cruz Jr. and Kwon each had two hits and two RBIs. Evans had the lone RBI for Pacific, which was held to five hits.

The result defied the pregame projection from Interstat’s game simulator, which had forecast a 6-5 Pacific victory, though Nevada’s ELO rating gave the Wolf Pack a 76.9% probability to win.

Pacific travels to face Sacramento State on Wednesday. Nevada visits Stanford on the same day.