May 18, 2006
Final Stats
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Behind two home runs and eight RBI from Keith Smith, the UNLV baseball team opened its final regular-season series with an 18-6 rout of Air Force on Thursday afternoon at Falcon Field.
UNLV improved to 25-28 and evened its record in Mountain West Conference play at 10-10 with the victory, which was picked up by Chris Saddoris (6-7) out of the bullpen. Air Forced dropped to 10-34, 1-19 in league play with the loss, which was charged to Casey Allen (1-6).
The 18 runs marked the sixth-straight game that the Rebels have scored double-digits and they have won all of those games and are currently on their longest winning streak of the year.
Ryan Kowalski got the Rebels on the board quickly, hitting a solo home run to center field on a full count to give UNLV a 1-0 lead. The lead grew to 5-0 in the second inning on a run-scoring double by Mike Cruz and then a three-run home run by Smith, his first of the game and ninth round tripper of the year.
Air Force did not fold though and battled back, plating four runs of its own in the bottom of the second inning in a variety of ways to pull within 5-4 and chase UNLV starter Kevin Skogley. The Falcons got their first run on an RBI single, scored another on a wild pitch by Skogley, plated another on an sacrifice bunt and then Karl Bolt capped the rally with an RBI double.
In the third inning Willie Bowman hit his first home run of the year for the Rebels, moving the score to 6-4 and then UNLV got two more runs in the top of the fourth on run-scoring singles by Kowalski and CJ Lang to extend the lead. The Falcons once again though cut back into the Rebel lead, scoring a pair of runs off of Saddoris that made the score 8-6.
The Rebels pulled away, scoring 10 runs over the final four innings of the game, with Smith providing the capper in the ninth, a grand slam to left field that made the score 18-6. While the Rebels were scoring runs in bunches, relief pitcher Alex Chalfant kept AFA off the scoreboard over the next four innings. In his most effective appearance of the year, Chalfant tossed four scoreless innings, allowing just two hits while striking out four. Xavier Scruggs pitched a scoreless ninth to close out the game.
Smith's eight RBI were the most for a Rebel since Zeke Parraz knocked in eight runs against New Mexico last year on April 23, 2005 in the Rebels' 20-11 win. Mike Oglesbee holds the UNLV record with 11 RBI, set against Long Beach State on March 2, 1985. Smith went 3-4 on the afternoon and scored three runs to go along with his two home runs and eight RBI.
Eleven different Rebels had at least one hit and seven players drove in at least one run as UNLV racked up 20 hits on the afternoon, including six doubles and four home runs. The Falcons used 10 hits to score their runs.
UNLV and Air Force continue their series tomorrow with Efren Navarro Jr. taking the hill for the Rebels against Mitch Brown of the Falcons, with the first pitch set for 1:00 p.m. (PDT).
