April 6, 2010
Final Stats
LAS VEGAS - In a high-scoring game that featured plenty of extra-base hits, UNLV baseball fell just short against Texas Tech, dropping a non-conference game by the score of 11-9 on Tuesday afternoon at Earl E. Wilson Stadium.
The two teams combined for 24 hits, including eight extra-base hits and a trio of home runs, as the teams used five pitchers each on a windy afternoon in front of 348 fans. UNLV fell to 17-13 overall, with Jarred Lee (3-3) taking the loss, while TTU moved to 15-17 overall with Ben Flora (2-0) earning the win.
UNLV actually jumped out to an early 5-2 lead after four innings of play, scoring a run in the first on a sacrifice fly, two in the third and then two more in the fourth on an error and an RBI ground out by Drew Beuerlein. TTU's two runs came on a pair of solo home runs to left field off the bat of Barrett Barnes, which came in the second and fourth innings.
The middle three innings belonged to the Red Raiders, including a game-changing fifth inning that saw them score five runs to take the lead for the first time. In that frame Texas Tech used five hits in the rally, the capper a two-run single off the bat of Scott LeJuene that made the score 7-5. TTU tacked on two more runs in the top of the sixth to go up 9-5, but the Rebels would not go quietly.
UNLV battled back, scoring two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to pull within two at 9-7, as Cash Thomas hit a two-out single with runners on second and third to push two runs across the plate. The Rebel bullpen, however, gave those runs back in the top of the seventh, as the Red Raiders collected a pair of run-scoring hits to regain a four-run advantage.
The Rebels got a run back in the eighth inning on a run-scoring single by Hunter Beaty, and then Beuerlein cut the margin to just two runs by leading off the ninth with a solo home run to right center. But TTU closer Chad Bettis closed out the game to earn the three-inning save, his fourth of the season.
Beaty finished the game with three hits on the afternoon while Robbie De La Cruz and Richie Jimenez each chipped in a pair of hits for the Rebels. TTU collected 14 hits on the afternoon, with Barnes also scoring three times to go along with his two solo home runs. The Red Raiders also committed four errors which lead to five unearned Rebel runs, and UNLV committed two errors on the afternoon.
UNLV will now embark on a 10-game road trip that will see the Rebels play at Utah (April 9-11), at Southern Utah (April 13) at Tulane (16-18) and at TCU (April 23-25).
