March 17, 2006
Final Stats
LAS VEGAS - UNLV baseball posted 11 runs in the opening inning and never looked back, beating The Citadel 22-6 on Friday night at Earl E. Wilson Stadium in front of 264 fans.
UNLV used eight hits, with a three-run home run by Mike Cruz igniting the rally, which was extended by two errors as the Rebels sent 16 batters to the plate in jumping out to an 11-0 lead. Bulldog starter Wes Wren only recorded one out in the opening frame, giving up 10 of the runs.
The Rebels improved to 10-12 on the year by scoring the second-most runs in a game this year, giving starting pitcher Chris Saddoris (3-3) more than enough run support for him to collect the win. Earlier in the year the Rebels beat Eastern Michigan 23-5 at home. Wren, who entered the game with a 2.08 ERA, dropped to 1-1 on the year as the Bulldogs fell to 12-7 overall and remained winless on the road.
The inning started with a Zach Borba single followed by CJ Lang drawing a walk, bringing Cruz to the plate. The reigning Mountain West Conference Player of the Week drilled his second home run of the year over the left-field fence for a 3-0 lead. UNLV was just getting started though, with four Rebels hitting RBI singles in the frame.
In all every position player on the Rebels but two got an at bat in the game, with 11 different UNLV players collecting a hit and 10 players driving in at least one run. Xavier Scruggs hit his third home run of the year, a two-run shot in the sixth inning.
The Citadel broke the shut out in the sixth inning, pushing six runs across the plate against Saddoris, who allowed five runs and two walks while striking out five. Robert Gamch, making his third appearance of the season, worked the final two innings on Friday night.
The 11 runs in the opening inning matched a season high for the Rebels, who scored the same amount of runs in the fourth inning of their 16-11 win over Texas Tech this year. UNLV finished with 20 hits on the evening, with five of those being extra-base hits.
UNLV continues its series with The Citadel tomorrow afternoon, with the first pitch scheduled for 2:00 p.m. (PST) on Saturday at Earl E. Wilson Stadium. Left hander Kevin Skogley gets the starting nod for the Rebels and Ryan Owens will make the start for the Bulldogs.
