April 26, 2010
LAS VEGAS - UNLV baseball returns home following a long road trip and will host UC Riverside in a non-conference game on Tuesday night at Earl E. Wilson Stadium, marking the first time since April 6 that the Rebels will play a home game. The game has been moved to 6:00 p.m. (PT), an hour earlier than originally scheduled.
The Rebels will bring a 21-18 overall record, including a 5-7 mark in the Mountain West conference that has them fifth in the league. UNLV will be looking to snap a five-game losing streak, as it was swept on the road at No. 8 TCU in a three-game league series over the weekend. The matchup with the Horned Frogs was the first against a ranked opponent this season for the Rebels. Taking the mound for the Rebels will be left-hander Billy Wardell, who is 1-1 in three starts and 11 total appearances.
The Highlanders are 20-13 overall and 5-4 in the Big West Conference, which is good for fourth place in the league. UCR swept a three-game series at home against CSU Bakersfield over the weekend, and that capped a nine-game home stand for the Highlanders, although two of the games were not finished due to rain. Starting for UCR on Tuesday night will be right-hander Trevor Frank, who is 2-1 with a 6.82 ERA in four starts and 10 total appearances.
UNLV is being led at the plate by junior catcher Drew Beuerlein, who is hitting a team-high .377 (58-154) while also pacing the squad with seven home runs and 41 RBI. Right behind him is freshman Brandon Bayardi, who is hitting .364 (59-162) and has a team-best 16 doubles on the year. R.J. Arnold has hit six home runs on the year while Jarred Frierson has laced five triples.
UCR's top hitter is Jason Shults, who brings in an average of .384 (38-99) to go along with six home runs and 26 RBI, while Robert Brantley is hitting .336 and has hit a team-high 13 doubles. UC Riverside's closer is Mitch Patito, and he has three saves and a 1.93 ERA in 12 appearances.
Tuesday's game is the start of a stretch of games that will see UNLV play 11 of its next 12 games at Wilson Stadium, where the squad is 15-9 on the year. The Rebels will resume conference action this weekend, hosting Air Force in a three-game series that gets underway Friday night at 7:00 p.m.
