April 23, 2005
Final Stats
LAS VEGAS - Zeke Parraz exploded at the plate Saturday for UNLV baseball, slugging two home runs, including a grand slam that capped an eight-run sixth inning in the Rebels' 20-11 blowout of New Mexico in front of 322 fans at Earl E. Wilson Stadium.
Parraz drove in a career-high eight runs, hitting a solo home-run in the fourth inning and a two-run triple in the seventh to go along with his grand slam as the senior finished the day 4-6 with four runs scored. Parraz' career day was part of a season-high 24 hits for UNLV, as all nine starters and 13 total Rebels got hits in the win. The 20 runs were also a season-high.
With the win UNLV improved to 19-22 on the year, 13-4 in the Mountain West Conference and remained a half-game behind MWC leader BYU. The Cougars have a 14-4 record in conference play and have Sunday off, meaning the Rebels could pull into a first-place tie with a win tomorrow. New Mexico dropped to 19-21 on the year, 9-8 in the MWC.
UNLV actually trailed 4-2 after five innings as UNM starter Danny Ray Herrera was effective early on.
Jordan Pacheco led off the game with a solo home run for the Lobos off of UNLV starter Koji Pupo and then UNM added another run on a RBI ground out from Tim Grady that pushed the lead to 2-0. New Mexico scored another run in the third inning on a RBI single by Chris Carlson and the lead would grow to 4-0 in the top of the fourth an a Jeff Grady home run to left field.
Parraz then put the Rebels on the board in the bottom of the fourth when he hammered a ball to dead-away center field that hit the batter's eye. UNLV tacked on another run on a ground out by Matt Fry that scored Chris Bonnell and made the score 4-2.
After a scoreless fifth for both teams, Herrera ran into trouble in the sixth that he wouldn't recover from.
Bonnell lead off the inning with a single and after a strike out, Fry was hit by a pitch and Tyler Beranek followed with a double that scored Bonnell, making the score 4-3. UNLV tied the game at four on an RBI single by CJ Lang and then took the lead when JC Sibley was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, bringing in Beranek. Mike Cruz then added a run scoring single for the Rebels that brought the UNLV lead to 6-4 and ended the day for Herrera.
Petr Pacas came out of the Lobo bullpen to face Parraz with the bases loaded. Parraz took the third pitch he saw from Pacas and lined it over the left-field wall for a grand slam, pushing the lead to 10-4.
UNLV continued to pound away at the UNM bullpen, touching it up for 10 more runs over the next two innings. The Rebels plated four runs in the seventh inning and that rally was highlighted by Parraz' two-RBI triple. Six more UNLV runs crossed the plate in the eighth and that rally was started by Anthony Hernandez' first home run as a Rebel, a solo-shot that led off the inning.
Rebel reliever Matt Wagner (3-2) worked three innings and gave up three runs, one earned, to earn the win. Herrera (5-3) took the loss, giving up nine runs, all earned, in 5.1 innings of work.
Eight players from UNLV had at least two hits in the game, and Bonnell went 3-5 at the plate with a RBI and two runs scored. UNLV had nine extra-base hits on the afternoon.
UNLV wraps up its three-game series against New Mexico on Sunday afternoon with the final game of the set scheduled for 1:00 p.m. (PT) at Earl E. Wilson Stadium. Derek Rodriguez (3-4) is scheduled to take the hill for the Rebels against the Lobos' Darren Coltrinari (6-2).
