March 24, 2005
Final Stats
ALBURQUERQUE, N.M. - UNLV scored seven runs in the final two innings of Thursday's game against New Mexico but it wasn't enough as the Rebels lost 10-8 at Isotopes Park, their first loss in Mountain West Conference play this season.
The Rebels had cut their deficit to 5-3 in the top of the eighth but UNM scored five runs, all unearned, in its half of the frame to go up 10-3, seemingly putting the game away. UNLV responded by plating five runs of their own in the top of the ninth and had the tying run at the plate with a runner on third and two outs.
UNLV head coach Buddy Gouldsmith brought in Matt Fry to pinch hit and UNM skipper Rich Alday countered by bringing Petr Pacas in out of the bullpen. Pacas got the better of the match up, striking out Fry to end the game.
UNLV dropped to 3-1 in the league, 9-17 overall while UNM evened both its conference record at 2-2 and overall record at 12-12. Rebel starter Derek Rodriguez took the loss, allowing five runs, all earned, on ten hits. Danny Ray Herrera (3-1) nearly threw his first complete game, going 8.2 innings to earn the win and Pacas picked his first save for the Lobos.
After the Rebels scored two in the eighth on RBI singles by Mike Cruz and Ryan Bird to cut the deficit to two, the Lobos exploded for five runs in the bottom of the inning, benefiting from a costly error, a wild pitch and a passed ball.
Matt Foote started the inning for New Mexico by reaching on a throwing error by UNLV second baseman CJ Lang, the Rebels' fifth of the game. Foote advance to second on the error and then scored on a double by Chris Dabbs for the first unearned run of the inning. Dabbs moved to third on a wild pitch by Wayne Foltin and after Tim Grady struck out for the first out of the inning, Dabbs scored on a passed ball, pushing the margin to 7-3.
Foltin walked Jay Russell and Jordan Pacheco before getting a fly out for the second out of the inning, which would have been the third out had Lang not committed an error to start the inning. UNM made the Rebels pay for extending the inning as Chris Carlson cleared the bases, drilling a three-run home run to right field for a 10-3 Lobo lead.
UNLV didn't go quietly though, reeling of five runs in the top of the ninth inning and had the tying run at the plate with two outs.
Willie Bowman knocked in the first run of the inning on a fielder's choice and Zeke Parraz hit a run scoring single with two outs that made the score 10-5. Justin Tellam then walked to load the bases for the Rebels and Ryan Bird followed with a bases-clearing triple that brought the Rebels to within two at 10-8 and setting up the game's final battle between Fry and Pacas.
Bird finished the game with four RBI and had three hits in five at-bats. Tellam accounted the Rebels other run in the game, drilling a solo home run in the fourth inning. It was the catcher's team-leading seventh round tripper of the season.
UNLV continues its series against New Mexico on Friday, playing the second game of the series at 5:00 p.m. (PST).
