April 30, 2010
Final Stats
LAS VEGAS - UNLV baseball broke open a close game with six runs in the fifth inning to go on and beat Air Force 9-4 in the opener of a three-game Mountain West Conference series Friday night at Earl E. Wilson Stadium.
Playing in front of a season-high 838 fans the Rebels gave them plenty to cheer about, especially in the game-changing frame, when UNLV sent 10 batters to the plate and it ballooned its lead from just one run to seven. The big blow was a triple to right center by R.J. Arnold with the bases loaded that plated three runs, which was more than enough of an advantage for the Rebels.
UNLV, which snapped a six-game losing streak with tonight's victory, moved to 22-19 overall and 6-7 in league games, with starter Tanner Peters (5-3) picking up the decision. Peters was solid on the mound, working eight innings and giving up three runs on six hits, striking out 10 and walking three. Air Force dropped to 11-31 on the year and 1-10 in conference play, and starter Alex Truesdale (2-6) took the loss, allowing all nine runs on 12 hits.
The Rebels got on the board first, pushing three runs across the plate in the bottom of the second in three different ways. Nolan Clark singled home the first run of the inning, Jarred Frierson would score on a balk and Arnold came home via a fielding error.
Air Force chipped away at the lead, scoring a run in the second on an RBI single by Matthew Roberts and another in the top of the fifth three singles, the final one by Alex Bast that made it a one-run game.
It was not a one-run game for long, as in the bottom half of the fifth UNLV again put a crooked number on the board, this time a six spot off of Truesdale that also saw AFA head coach Mike Hutcheon get ejected.
Richie Jimenez started the inning with a double and after a pop out, Cash Thomas singled, putting runners on the corners. Brandon Bayardi hit an RBI ground out for the first run of the rally, and then Kyle Kretchmer added an RBI single of his own for a 5-2 Rebel lead. Frierson was then hit by a pitch, and then the inning nearly ended on a close pick-off attempt at first base that he barely beat.
Clark singled to right field to load the bases and then Arnold cleared them, splitting the game in right-center field and motoring all the way to third base. Duncan Satherlie followed with an RBI single to center field, and that would be all the runs that UNLV would need.
Clark finished the game with a career-high four hits in four trips to the plate, while Kretchmer collected three base knocks in four at-bats and scored twice, part of a 15-hit attack by the Rebel offense. Air Force had eight hits on the evening, three coming off the bat of Matthew Roberts. Each team committed an error in the game.
UNLV and Air Force continue their series on Saturday with the first pitch set for 2:00 p.m. (PT) at Wilson Stadium, with Stephen Singer taking the mound for the Rebels. The game is part of Air Force weekend, and among the promotions, all military personnel and family are free. Sunday's game, which starts at 1:00 p.m., will also be Kid's Day at the ball park, and all tickets are just $1.
