April 14, 2007

Final Stats

LAS VEGAS - Windy conditions led to a bunch of crooked numbers on the scoreboard at Earl E. Wilson Stadium on Saturday but UNLV baseball did not put enough of those on the board as the Rebels lost to visiting TCU 16-12.

The teams combined for 37 hits in the Mountain West Conference tilt, one that saw the Rebels lose for the sixth straight time in falling to 14-25 overall on the year and 3-8 in league games. TCU improved to 26-9 and a MWC-best 9-1 in conference games.

Each team scored four runs in their half of the opening inning to open up what would be a near four-hour game as winds blew consistently out to left field all afternoon. The Horned Frogs struck first, loading the bases for Andrew Walker who cleared them with a double off the left field wall for a 3-0 TCU lead. Clint Arnold then singled in Walker to move the lead to 4-0, the start of a big day for the center fielder.

UNLV battled back in its half of the first, scoring four runs of its own with three of them coming off a bases-loaded double by Efren Navarro Jr. that came with no outs off of Horned Frogs starter Chris Johnson. Navarro Jr. moved to third on a ground out and then scored on a grounder by Ryan Kowalski that tied the game at four.

TCU took control of the game though over the next three innings, scoring 10 of the next 11 runs to jump out to a 14-5 lead after five innings of play. Rebel starter Craig Heyer (4-5) could not get out of the third inning and he was charged with the loss, giving up nine runs on nine hits. During the big TCU rally, Arnold hit a two-run home run in the third and then followed that with a three-run shot in the fourth to help stake his team to a large lead.

UNLV would not roll over though despite the deficit and after scoring a run in the bottom of the sixth, the Rebels tacked on five more in the seventh to get within three at 14-11.

In the five-run seventh Keith Smith drilled a solo home run to left to start the frame and then six consecutive Rebels reached base without an out being recorded. Xavier Scruggs and Willie Bowman both had two-RBI hits in the frame and that forced TCU to bring in closer Sam Demel early in the game and with two on and no outs.

Demel got the Horned Frogs out of the inning without allowing another run, getting two strike outs and then a pop out from Smith to end the frame.

TCU turned around and scored two insurance runs to balloon the lead back to five at 16-11 that took the air out of the Rebels following their big inning, and they scored a run of their own in the bottom half to cap the scoring.

Demel earned the three-inning save, his sixth of the year, closing it out for Johnson (7-2) who benefited from the run support to collect the win despite give up six runs, three earned, in six innings of work.

Navarro Jr. had a big day at the plate for the Rebels, finishing the game gong 2-for-4 with three RBI and three runs scored while Calvin Beamon and Bowman each had three hits on the day. Arnold knocked in six runs for the Horned Frogs and Walker added four RBI of his own to go with four hits and three runs scored.

UNLV and TCU wrap up their series tomorrow morning, with the game time being moved to 11:00 a.m. (PT) at Earl E. Wilson Stadium.