Feb. 20, 2009
Final Stats
LAS VEGAS - UNLV baseball got a strong performance from its pitching staff and picked up timely hits to beat Maine, 4-2, in the season opener for both teams on Friday night in front of 877 fans at Earl E. Wilson Stadium.
UNLV starter Jeff Urlaub gave up two runs in five innings of work to earn the win, and then Glenn DeWeese and Marc Baca combined to throw four scoreless innings of relief, with Baca picking up the save. Maine starter Joe Miller lasted six innings but gave up three runs in taking the loss.
"I think the difference tonight was that we threw strikes and played defense," UNLV head coach Buddy Gouldsmith said. "We got some timely hitting to get some runs and it is good to start the season off with a win."
UNLV got on the board first, scoring a pair of runs in the top of the second inning on three hits, including back-to-back extra base knocks. Anthony Morel hit a one-out double and then Bryan Resnick followed with a triple to left field that scored Morel, giving the Rebels a 1-0 lead. Following a lineout, Resnick trotted home on a single to left field off the bat of Scott Berke, pushing the lead to 2-0.
The Black Bears used three hits to tie the score in the top of the fifth inning, the big blow a two-run single to right by Danny Menendez off of Urlaub. The Rebel starter would pick Menedez off as he was trying to steal third and Urlaub worked five solid innings, striking out five and walking two on the evening.
Urlaub earned his first win in more than a year, as the junior left-hander was recovering from Tommy John surgery last year and only pitched three innings last year in two appearances for the Rebels.
"It has been a long time coming and this is a good team win," Urlaub said. "The team played great defense behind me and the offense got hits when we needed them."
The Rebels used a trio of Maine miscues in the bottom half of the sixth to retake the lead, as Drew Beuerlein was hit by a pitch, moved to third on an error and then scored on a wild pitch from Miller. UNLV then added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth when Berke scored on an error after reaching on a walk and stealing second.
UNLV and Maine will be back in action tomorrow, playing a doubleheader that begins at 2:00 p.m. (PT), with Andrew Beresford getting the starting nod for the Rebels.
