RENO - Welcome to Kyle Hunt's magical mystery tour around the bases Saturday afternoon at Peccole Park.
"That was a lot of fun," smiled the Nevada shortstop after the Wolf Pack's 9-1 victory over the Utah Valley Wolverines in front of 511 fans. "I really wasn't planning on stealing any bags today."
The Wolf Pack freshman stole three bases, all in the first inning. But that was just the beginning of his wild roller coaster ride on the bases against the Wolverines.
Hunt doubled and eventually scored on a wild pitch - but not before almost coming to a complete stop halfway down the baseline - in the third inning. In the fourth inning he was called out for leaving third base too early on what should have been a sacrifice fly to right field off the bat of Carlos Escobar. And in the sixth inning he hesitated coming around third base and was thrown out at the plate.
"He made three good reads on the bases and he made three bad reads on the bases," smiled coach Gary Powers, whose Wolf Pack has now won four games in a row to improve to 5-1. "But I love the aggressiveness he showed."
Powers started Hunt's fun-filled afternoon on the bases by signaling for a stolen base attempt with Hunt on first base and two outs.
"That was coach Powers on the steal of second," Hunt said. "Coach turned me loose."
Little did Powers know how loose.
Hunt, who had just one stolen base through the Pack's first five games, then stole third.
"That was my read," Hunt said. "I saw something he (Utah Valley starter Blake Krahenbuhl) was doing and thought I had a good chance to make it to third."
Wolf Pack third base coach Buddy Gouldsmith saw the same thing. "Coach Bud told me, 'If you want it, it's there,'" Hunt said. Hunt wanted it.
"What was going through my mind when I saw him go home?'" smiled Powers. "I was thinking, 'What the heck are we doing stealing home with two strikes on the hitter?' All he (Krahenbuhl) had to do was throw a strike right down the middle and the inning would have been over. But, again, that's the type of aggressiveness I want to see. I'm just glad he made it."
Krahenbuhl, who has a very slow, deliberate wind-up, seemingly never saw Hunt streaking for the plate until, well, it was too late. Hunt beat a close play at the plate to give the Pack a 1-0 lead.
"I think the last time I stole home I was a freshman in high school," said Hunt, who graduated from Capistrano Valley High in Mission Viejo, Calif., just last spring. "For something like that to work, everything has to go perfectly.
"But that's the type of baseball I like to play. I want to be a spark for my team, always doing something to get us going."
Hunt's three stolen bases in the first inning seemingly led to a Pack run in the third inning. Krahenbuhl, determined to not forget about Hunt on the bases this time, threw over and faked throws to second after Hunt doubled to lead off the inning.
"That's why you want to be aggressive on the bases," Powers said. "It makes the other team have to think about what you're going to do. I think we got in his head a little."
Hunt went to third on a ground out to first by Brett Jones. He then motored home on a pitch that got away from catcher Taylor Berg.
Berg retrieved the ball, which had bounced about a dozen feet away to his right, and could have gotten Hunt - who hesitated - at the plate. But his throw sailed over the head of Krahenbuhl as Hunt gave the Pack a 2-0 lead.
Tyler Wells (1-0) earned the victory for the Pack. The freshman left-hander took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and allowed just two hits and no runs in 6.1 innings while walking five and striking out three.
Brook Klein's three- run homer in the third inning broke the game open. It was just the second home run hit by the Pack this season and first at Peccole Park. Austin Byler hit the first Pack homer of the year on Tuesday in a 7-3 win at San Francisco.
Klein, who played the last two seasons at Western Nevada College, hit a towering fly ball into the teeth of the wind in right field.
The Wolf Pack is now 5-1 to start a season for the first time since 1995. The three-game series with the Wolverines (1-5) concludes today with a 1 p.m. game.
