April 22, 2006
Final Stats
LAS VEGAS - UNLV baseball didn't have quite enough eighth-inning magic left, losing 8-6 to visiting San Diego State in a Mountain West Conference tilt Saturday afternoon at Earl E. Wilson Stadium.
Trailing by six runs entering the bottom of the eighth, UNLV scored four times to move within two at 8-6, but that would be all the Rebels would get in falling to 17-23 on the year, 4-8 in league play. SDSU improved to 14-28 on the season and 7-5 in MWC action. The night before UNLV scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth to tie the game before winning 6-5 on a Keith Smith walk-off home run in the bottom of the 12th.
Smith once again had a strong game for the Rebels, going 3-5 with three RBI and a run scored. Smith though was the only Rebel player to capitalize with runners in scoring position, as UNLV left 13 men on base in the game.
Through five innings it was a pitchers affair, as each team scored just one run with SDSU getting on the board in the third on a RBI double and then UNLV answering in the bottom of the fifth when Smith hit an RBI single. Lance Sewell (1-1) picked up the win for SDSU, working 5.1 innings and give up two runs, one earned and striking out seven. UNLV starter Kevin Skogley (1-6) also pitched well, allowing four runs on five hits, but ran into trouble in the sixth.
It was in the sixth inning when the Aztecs went back in front for good, plating three runs in the frame with the big blow a two-out, bases-loaded single by Jordan Swayden that scored two and made the score 4-1. UNLV cut the lead in half at 4-2 in the bottom half of the sixth on a Willie Bowman single that scored Michael Brenly.
After a scoreless seventh SDSU added four insurance runs in the eighth, scoring two runs on RBI singles before Lance Zawadzki hit a two-run triple to the right-field corner that pushed the margin to 8-2.
The Rebels tried to rally once again in the eighth and sent nine batters to the plate in scoring four runs to cut the lead to 8-6. Mike Cruz led off the frame with a solo home run to left field, the fifth of the year for the senior shortstop. Smith added a two-run double later in the inning and then Efren Navarro Jr. hit a run-scoring single to account for the runs.
UNLV had the tying run at the plate with two out in the bottom of the ninth inning, but Mark Triolo got Kowalski to line out to short with a runner on to end the game. Triolo worked a scoreless 1.1 innings to get his first save of the year.
UNLV and SDSU wrap up their series on Sunday, with Matt Luca scheduled to take the mound for the Rebels against Bruce Billings of the Aztecs. The first pitch is slated for 1:00 p.m. (PDT) and fans can also listen live on KSHP 1400 AM with Jon Sandler handling the play-by-play.
