Nevada Release2/20/2012
STANFORD, Calif. – Sara Parsons hit a three-run walk-off home run to cap a six-run seventh inning as Nevada came back to beat Pacific 7-5 in the final game of the Stanford Nike Invitational
The home run, the second of the year for Parsons, capped an improbable comeback as Nevada entered the bottom of the seventh trailing 5-1. But the Pack rallied for six runs, all with two outs, to knock off the Tigers and improved to 3-7 on the year.
Karley Hopkins, Sam Puzey and Ashley Butera each had two hits for the Pack, which lost 4-1 to Pacific on Friday to begin play in the tournament.
The comeback made a winner of Mallary Darby, who pitched well in the complete-game victory. Darby gave up nine hits but just two of the five Pacific runs were earned (three Nevada errors). She walked just one and fanned four and improved to 3-2 on the year.
Nevada will return to action next week at the Gaucho Classic hosted by UC Santa Barbara. The Wolf Pack will play the host school, UCSB, and UNLB on Friday, Houston and San Diego on Saturday and then finish with UCSB again on Sunday.
Nevada trailed for much of the game as Pacific scored twice in the second and again in the third. The Wolf Pack answered with a run in the fourth when Megan Fincher crushed a solo home run – her first of the year – over the scoreboard beyond the left-field fence. But Pacific pushed two more across in the sixth and was in control at 5-1.
In the bottom of the seventh, the rally started simply with one out when Hopkins singled. Caylin Campbell then doubled off the wall in left. After Lauren Lastrapes popped up for the second out of the inning, Sam Puzey singled to score Hopkins and make it 5-2.
Megan Fincher then walked to load the bases and bring the freshman Butera to the plate. She lifted a single to centerfield to score Campbell and Molly McWilliams, who was running for Puzey.
Parsons then came to the plate and worked the count full before hitting the first walk-off home for Nevada since Michelle Beach beat UNLV with a walk-off in 2008.
