May 16, 2010
Final Stats
LAS VEGAS - UNLV baseball took a one-run lead into the ninth inning but Utah scored twice to take the lead and then held on for an 11-10 win over the Rebels on a hot and sunny Sunday at Earl E. Wilson Stadium.
Trying to close out the game for the Rebels was Friday-night starter Tanner Peters, and he got the first two outs of the ninth on ground balls before walking a batter and then giving up an infield single. That brought C.J. Cron to the plate and he hit a double down the left-field line to score two that gave his team a one-run advantage, which proved to be enough despite the Rebels putting two men on in the bottom half.
Rebel senior Jarred Frierson walked with one out and after moving up to second on a wild pitch, Brandon Bayardi was walked by Stephen Streich, bringing Hunter Beaty to the plate with two outs. Beaty hit a deep fly ball but it was to the deepest part of Wilson Stadium, and Ute center fielder Cooper Blanc settled under it just shy of the warning track to end the game.
UNLV is now 27-23 overall and 11-10 in Mountain West Conference action, and Peters (6-4) was charged with the loss, allowing the two runs on two hits in 1.1 innings out of the bullpen. Utah improved to 21-25 on the year and 9-12 in league games, with Streich (4-2) picking up the win, working 3.1 innings of scoreless relief.
On a day when six Rebel seniors were honored before the game, UNLV jumped out to an early 5-0 lead, scoring four runs in the first and then another in the second in what was the beginning of another high-scoring affair. Kyle Kretchmer hit a run-scoring double and Travis Feiner knocked in two with a single up the middle during the first and then Drew Beuerlein doubled in a run in the second.
That staked senior Brian Gilbertson to an early lead, but the right-hander could not capitalize, as he gave up a three-run home run to Nick Kuroczko in the third and then saw his day come to an end after allowing a two-run home run to Cron in the fifth. Rick Cornu added a two-run shot of his own in the fifth, this one off of Rebel reliever Glenn DeWeese, and it gave the Utes a 7-6 lead heading to the bottom of the fifth.
The Rebels answered and regained the lead in the bottom of the frame, scoring runs on a double by Nolan Clark and an infield single by Cash Thomas that made the score 8-7. UNLV plated two more in the sixth, with Beuerlein leading off with a solo home run to left field and then another when Richie Jimenez was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, pushing the margin to 10-7.
But the Utes did not go away, scratching out single runs in the seventh and eighth to set up the dramatic ninth inning and Cron's game-winning double.
The Rebels finished the game with 11 hits, as four different players collected two hits each, with Beuerlein leading the way with three RBI and a pair of runs scored. Utah had 16 hits on the afternoon, and Cron drove in five runs while Kuroczko had four hits and scored four times.
UNLV takes a break from league play and will close out its home schedule with its final non-conference game of the regular season, hosting Cal State Northridge, with the first pitch set for 3:00 p.m. (PT) at Earl E. Wilson Stadium.
GAME NOTES: Before the game, the Rebels honored six seniors who are wrapping up their career at UNLV. They were: Glenn DeWeese, Jarred Frierson, Brian Gilbertson, Matt Hutchison, Kyle Kretchmer and Stephen Singer.
