April 1, 2005
Final Stats
LAS VEGAS - Matt Luca dominated on the mound Friday night, allowing just three hits and one run in eight strong innings of work to lead UNLV to a 6-1 win against San Diego State at Earl E. Wilson Stadium.
Luca struck out eight and improved to 3-4 on the year while the Rebels moved to 12-18, 6-1 in the Mountain West Conference. Bruce Billings (2-3) took the loss for SDSU as the Aztecs dropped to 7-18, 2-2 in the MWC.
It took a while for Luca to settle into a groove, as he gave up a single in the first to start the game and then a triple to Brock Ungricht to start the second inning. SDSU turned that triple into a run but after that Luca was lights out. At one point he retired 16-straight Aztec batters, a streak that started in the second and was broken with a single in the top of the eighth.
It was a pitcher's duel throughout most of the game with Billings proving to be every bit as effective as Luca.
UNLV tied the game at one in the bottom of the fourth inning on an RBI single by Ryan Bird that drove in Ryan Kowalski. The Rebels scratched out another run in the sixth inning on another RBI single, this one coming off the bat of Matt Fry that scored Justin Tellam.
That would be all that the Rebels would get off of Billings, who threw seven innings and gave up just six hits and the two earned runs. It was when the Aztecs went to their bullpen in the eighth inning that things unraveled.
Cody Cambell was greeted out the SDSU bullpen with back-to-back doubles by Zeke Parraz and Tellam that pushed the Rebel lead to 3-1. A single by Bird moved Tellam to third and the Rebels then tried a safety-squeeze with Fry. He bunted toward Cambell who turned and had Tellam in a rundown.
Cambell however threw the ball high over the third baseman's head and into left field, allowing both Tellam and Bird to score on the play, moving the lead to 5-1. Fry advanced to second on the error and then was moved over to third on a ground out before scoring on a wild pitch by Cambell.
The long inning put to rest any thoughts of whether Luca would come back out in the ninth for a chance at a complete game and Kyle Tabeek came out of the Rebel bullpen to close out the win.
Tellam finished the night going 2-3 with two runs scored and an RBI and a walk. Parraz and Bird each went 2-4 in the game.
UNLV continues its three-game series with SDSU on Saturday, as the two teams play the middle game of their series starting at 2:00 p.m. (PST) at Earl E. Wilson Stadium.
