March 7, 2007
Final Stats
LUBBOCK, Texas - UNLV baseball jumped out to an early lead and then held on late to beat Texas Tech 5-4 on Wednesday afternoon at Dan Law Stadium as the Rebels snapped a four-game losing skid and split the two-game series.
The Rebels had leads of 3-0 and 5-2, but needed sophomore Marc Baca to pitch out of bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the ninth with a one-run lead to move to 9-12 on the year. Ryan Tabor (2-0) tossed 5.1 scoreless innings to get the win and Baca worked the final 1.2 to earn the save, including striking out Geoff Byrns with a full count to end the game. The Red Raiders dropped to 13-6 on the year.
UNLV scored the first three runs of the game, plating a run in the third, fifth and seventh innings to open up a 3-0 advantage on the road. Chris Bonnell knocked in the first run with a groundout that scored Drew Beuerlein from third for a 1-0 lead. In the fifth Braden Walker hit a one-out double and then scored on a single by Ryan Kowalski and then in the seventh Kowalski scored from second on a single by Calvin Beamon, making the score 3-0.
Texas Tech put a pair of its own runs on the board in the bottom of the seventh on a two-run home run by Tim Ahern off of Rebel reliever Adam Moser that made the score 3-2. UNLV then tacked on two more runs in the top of the eighth when Blake Gailen hit a run-scoring double and then later scored on a sacrifice fly to push the lead back to three at 5-2.
Those two insurance runs would prove to be very valuable as the Red Raiders scored two more runs in the eighth and then loaded the bags in the bottom of the ninth.
Kyle Martin hit a double that scored a run and then he later scored on a Taylor Ashby single, cutting the lead to 5-4 heading into the ninth. TTU then used a walk, a single and then an intentional walk to load the bases before Baca ended the game with his second strike out of the game.
Tabor had one of his strongest starts on the mound this year, giving up just four hits and striking out three before turning the game over to the bullpen. Kowalski finished the game going 3-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI.
UNLV returns home and opens a three-game series against Cal Poly, with the first game set for Friday at 6:30 p.m. (PST) at Earl E. Wilson Stadium. The series with the Mustangs will be the start of a 10-game homestand for the Rebels.
