May 3, 2009
Final Stats
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - For the second straight game Ryan Thornton came through with a clutch hit, this time drilling a two-run home run in the top of the 11th in UNLV's 13-11 win over New Mexico on Sunday afternoon at Lobo Field.
After the Lobos scored a run in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game, Jarred Frierson singled with two out, bringing Thornton to the plate, who hit a two-run single on Saturday to lift the Rebels to a victory. The first two pitches in the at-bat were balls and Cole White was forced to throw a strike and Thornton took advantage, hammering a home run to left center.
New Mexico put two runners on with one out and then loaded them with two out against Rebel reliever Marc Baca, but the senior closer Daniel Gonzalez to pop out to end the game.
UNLV improved to 25-23 overall and 9-9 in Mountain West Conference games, with Baca earning the win as the Rebels won back-to-back games on the road for the first time this season. New Mexico dropped to 32-16 on the year and 12-8 in league play.
The Rebels jumped out to an 8-1 lead after they scored two runs in the second and six in the third, and they scored those runs on eight hits over the two frames. Anthony Morel hit a two-run single in the third highlighted that rally, which also featured RBI singles by Rance Roundy, Scott Berke and Frierson.
UNM wouldn't go away in its final home game of 2009, scoring three runs in the bottom of the third and three more in the bottom of the fifth to close to within two at 9-7. Ryan Honeycutt hit a two-run home run in the third and Justin Howard added a two-run shot followed by a solo home run by Adam Courcha.
UNLV kept scoring as well, getting single runs in the top of the fifth, sixth and seventh innings, and carried an 11-10 lead into the bottom of the ninth inning. The Lobos tied the game on a two-out single by Mike Brownstein and they had the bases loaded but Baca got Honeycutt to fly out to left to get out of the jam.
The two teams combined for 36 hits, including 19 by the Rebels, and the Lobos slugged a trio of home runs in the high-scoring game. Frierson had four base hits in five trips to the plate, scoring three runs and driving in a pair, and Roundy collected three hits, drove in three and scored three times.
The Rebels return home for a non-conference game against UC Riverside on Tuedsay at 6:00 p.m. (PT) at Earl E. Wilson Stadium, the final non-conference regular-season game at home for UNLV.
