March 6, 2006
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IN THE BATTER'S BOX UNLV returns to the field right away following the weekend, hosting Texas Tech in a two game series at Earl E. Wilson Stadium that begins tonight at 6:30 p.m. (PST). Both teams will play again Tuesday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. to close out the short series, which will be the fifth-straight game for UNLV against a Big 12 opponent after playing Texas this past weekend.
LAST TIME OUT It was a wild weekend for UNLV, which came from behind twice to beat No. 8 Texas and nearly did it again as the Rebels took two of three games from the defending national champions. In the opener of the series Friday evening at Earl E. Wilson Stadium, the Rebels dug themselves a 10-0 hole, but slowly chipped away at the lead and trailed 10-9 when Keith Smith hit a pinch-hit grand slam with two outs in the seventh that gave the Rebels a 13-10 lead. UT scored two runs in the top of the ninth but with the bases loaded, Jabe Beard struck out two batters looking to end the game and give the Rebels a 13-12 win. In the second game of the series UNLV faced a one-run deficit heading into the bottom of the ninth, but Smith singled in the game-tying run and then Braden Walker hit a base-loaded single for a 9-8 win. UNLV nearly came back again in the final game of the series, scoring three runs with two out in the ninth inning to get within 9-8 before Texas got the last out to escape with the win.
UNLV(6-9, 0-0 Mountain West Conference)Head Coach: Buddy Gouldsmith(78-62, 3rd year; Overall, same)
The Rebels: UNLV enters Monday's game against Texas Tech with a 6-9 record after it took two of three against No. 8 Texas. Zach Borba leads the Rebel regulars in batting average with a .417 clip (20-48) and his 20 hits are tops on the team. Chris Bonnell paces the team with 13 RBI while Keith Smith has 12. Chris Saddoris (2-2) has a 5.74 ERA and leads the Rebel staff with five starts and 26.2 innings of work from the mound. Jabe Beard has made eight appearances out of the Rebel bullpen to lead the staff while Kevin Skogley and Smith lead the team in strikeouts with 17.
TEXAS TECH(11-5, 0-0 Big 12 Conference)Head Coach: Larry Hays(741-401-2, 19th year; 1436-782-3, 35th year)
The Red Raiders: Texas Tech comes into Monday's game having played the same hectic schedule that the Rebels have. The Red Raiders took two of three games from Cambell in a series that went from Thursday through Saturday. Before that they played a single game at Arizona State, losing 13-5. Matt Smith leads TT with a .436 average (24-55) and he has hit three home runs and driven in 20 runs. Roger Kieschnick has also hit three home runs and has 20 RBI with a .377 average. Miles Morgan is 2-1 with a 4.91 ERA and Dustin Richardson is 2-1 with a 5.57 ERA.
THE SERIES UNLV leads the short series against Texas Tech 2-0, with both wins coming in 1986 when the Rebels beat the Red Raiders twice at the Lubbock Intercollegiate Tournament.
