March 7, 2009
Final Stats
LAS VEGAS - UNLV put on an offensive display in sweeping a doubleheader from Butler, winning by scores of 19-10 and 24-5 on Saturday afternoon at Earl E. Wilson Stadium as the Rebels ran their winning streak to seven straight.
In the nightcap of the twin bill the Rebels pounded out a school-record 30 hits in earning the convincing victory, breaking the old school record of 28, which had been reached five times, most recently against Air Force on May 7, 2005. With the wins UNLV improved to 10-3 while Butler dropped to 1-7 on the season.
In the opener the Rebels scored four runs in the bottom of the first and didn't look back in running to a 19-10 victory over the Bulldogs, pounding out 20 hits, including six extra base hits, three of which were home runs. In fact UNLV scored at least one run in every inning and four in the first, third and seventh innings.
UNLV junior Drew Beuerlein hit a pair of triples, one that scored a run in the first inning and then another to start the sixth where he later scored, and it was part of a 3-for-5 day that also included two RBI and two runs scored. Ryan Thornton hit his second home run of the year, a two-run shot in the seventh, and Anthony Morel and Jesse Wight each hit their first home runs of the year as well.
Kyle Conroy earned the win in relief for the Rebels, pitching the fifth inning and giving up three runs, all earned, on four hits and two walks. UNLV actually had just a four-run lead, 13-9, heading into the sixth inning but Matt Hutchison tossed four innings of scoreless relief, giving up just three hits the rest of the way.
The Rebels didn't let up in game two, scoring 19 runs in the first four innings in jumping out to a 19-1 lead that would eventually balloon to 23 at 24-1, before the Bulldogs scored four runs in the seventh to cap the scoring. The 19-run win tied for the third-largest margin of victory by a UNLV team, and 14 of the 15 position players who took an at-bat registered a hit.
Wight led the way, going 3-for-4 with four RBI and two runs scored, and he hit a towering home run to left field for the second consecutive game, the only round tripper of the night as UNLV added four doubles and three triples. Beuerlein drove in four runs and scored three times and J.J. Sferra collected four hits, drove in three and also scored four times for the Rebels.
UNLV starter Tanner Peters went six innings to earn the win, improving to 2-0 after he allowed just one run on six hits to go along with a career-high nine strikeouts. Butler starter Jeff Sankiewicz took the loss, the first decision of the season for him, as he gave up nine runs on nine hits in two innings of work.
UNLV and Butler close out their series on Sunday and fans are reminded that tomorrow's game time has been move up an hour and will start at 12:00 p.m. (PT).
