Jan. 20, 2007
LAS VEGAS - The 2007 UNLV baseball team put up 12 runs in the first two innings to cruise to an easy 22-2 victory Saturday afternoon in the Alumni Game over a team comprised of Rebels from the past. The current Rebels knocked the ball around Earl E. Wilson Stadium with ease as they posted eight extra-base hits in the nine inning affair.
After a scoreless beginning to the first inning, the bottom half took quite some time to play. The 2007 Rebels amassed seven runs on five hits and were helped in the inning by two errors. Calvin Beamon opened the Rebel half of the first with a leadoff triple to right center off of Jake Vose (2003-04). Vose then hit Ryan Kowalski with a pitch and then loaded the bases with a walk to Keith Smith. With one out, Braden Walker came up and hit into a fielder's choice which scored Beamon easily from third. An errant throw to first, in an attempt to get Walker at first following an out at second, was overthrown and Kowalski came in for the second run of the inning. Chad Miller brought Walker in from second on a single to right field. Willie Bowman unloaded the only home run of the day as he placed Vose's offering over the right-center fence for two runs. Xavier Scruggs followed Bowman's smash by getting hit and then rounding the bases after back-to-back singles by Michael Brenly and Beamon, respectively.
In the bottom half of the second, UNLV plated five more runners on five hits and were helped by two alumni errors. For the second straight inning, the Rebels opened up the stanza with a triple to right center, this time off of Smith's bat. Blake Gailen followed with a walk. With one out and two runners on, Miller hit a deep fly to left field for an apparent out, but the ball popped out of the leftfielder's glove and allowed Smith to score and put runners in scoring position. Bowman plated Gailen with a single through the left side. Scruggs then poked a double to right center and brought Miller in. With Scruggs on third, Brenly singled up the middle to score Scruggs for the fifth run of the inning.
The alumni put their first run on the board in the third when they loaded the bases. Following a inning opening ground out, Matt Hutchison went a little wild and hit Brian Johnson (2001-04) and walked Ryan Ludwick (1997-99). With runners at first and second, Steve Goldberg (2002) loaded the bases after hitting a grounder to third that Scruggs was unable to field cleanly. Unfortunately, Scruggs mishaps at third weren't over as he misfielded a grounder off the bat of Eric Ludwick (1993). Johnson wound up scoring the first of his two runs on the day.
UNLV went scoreless in only the third and sixth innings, but managed to score 10 more runs from the fourth inning on. They put up three runs twice, in the fourth and eighth innings. Two runs were scored on two occasions, in the fifth and seventh innings.
The alumni scored their last run in the seventh when Johnson scored from first on a double to left field by Goldberg.
Offensively, the 2007 squad was led by a 4-for-4, two run and one RBI effort from Brenly. Beamon, Gailen and Bowman each registered three hits. Bowman was responsible for nine of the Rebels' 22 runs, as he knocked in five RBI and scored four times, as well.
Hutchison picked up the win as he threw 5.0 innings and surrendered one unearned run on four hits. He walked three and struck out four. Koji Pupo tossed 2.0 innings and gave up one run on one hit. Marc Baca and Adam Moser threw scoreless eighth and ninth innings.
The alumni only had five hits on the day with Berlin Germany registering two of those. Goldberg had the only RBI, while Johnson scored both runs.
Coming back to Las Vegas to play in the game were: C.J. Lang, Brent Johnson, Ryan Ludwick, Steve Goldberg, Eric Ludwick, Ben Scheinbaum, Robert VanKirk, Berlin Germany, Denny Mantini, Jake Vose, Kyle Tabeek, Chris Huseman, Matt Luca, Jack Ayers, Jabe Beard and Matt Wagner.
UNLV opens its regular season on the road with a three-game series at Cal State Northridge beginning Jan. 26, at 1:00 p.m. The Rebels' home opener is on Feb. 2, against Pepperdine at 6:30 p.m.
