April 9, 2009
Final Stats
LAS VEGAS - UNLV baseball could not get going offensively against No. 18 San Diego State, and the Rebels lost to the Aztecs 15-4 in the opener of a three-game series on Thursday night in front of a season-high crowd of 1,073 at Earl E. Wilson Stadium.
Facing the nation's top pitcher in Stephen Strasburg the Rebels were kept off balanced at the plate, as he struck out 13 hitters, walked one and gave up one run in six innings of work on the mound. UNLV dropped to 15-17 on the year and 4-6 in Mountain West Conference play, with Jeff Urlaub (3-5) taking the loss, as he gave up six runs, three earned, on seven hits in 3.2 innings of work. SDSU improved to 24-11 on the year and 7-3 in the league, with Strasburg earning the win to improve 7-0.
After a scoreless first inning the Aztecs got on the board in the top of the second, scoring three runs on three hits after a walk to open up the frame, jumping out to a 3-0 lead. The Rebels responded in the bottom of the frame when Rance Roundy singled to center and then Brian Gilbertson laced a double down the left-field line to make it a 3-1 game.
But that would be it for the Rebel offense over the next six innings while the Aztecs put the game out of reach in the middle three frames. SDSU scored three times in the fourth, five in the fifth and four in the sixth to jump out to a 15-1 advantage.
UNLV tacked on three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning for the game's final score, with Jarred Frierson hitting an RBI single and Scott Berke knocking in two with a double.
J.J. Sferra collected three hits in five trips to the plate, extending his hitting streak to 23 games, which is tied for the third-longest streak in school history, and that was part of 12 hits on the evening by the Rebels. Frierson, Berke and Roundy each had two hits as well for the Rebels, who also committed a trio of errors in the field.
SDSU used 15 hits to score its runs, including a three-run home run off the bat of Erik Castro in the fifth inning, and the Aztecs did not commit an error in the game.
UNLV and San Diego State continue their series with the two teams meeting again Friday, with the first pitch between the Rebels and Aztecs set for 7:00 p.m. (PT). Tanner Peters is slated to get the start for UNLV while Jon Berger is scheduled to start for SDSU, and fans can listen to the game live on KSHP 1400 AM.
