March 9, 2011
Box Score
LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - The UNLV baseball team looked to be in line for its first losing streak of the season before rallying from a seven-run deficit to score nine runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, and eventually hold on a 9-7 win over 14th-ranked Arizona here at Wilson Stadium this afternoon.
The Rebels (12-3), who were receiving votes this week in two different polls, rallied to score eight runs with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning to pull off the upset over the No. 14 Arizona Wildcats. Freshman closer Zack Hartman picked up his fourth save of the season after limiting Arizona to just two hits over the final two innings.
Jesse Garcia took the hill for UNLV and gave up just one hit through three innings before the Wildcats (10-3) broke through. Arizona took a 2-0 lead on an RBI double by Seth Mejias-Brean and a sacrifice fly from Alex Mejia in the fourth. Johnny Field's three-run homer in the fifth capped a four-run inning and pushed the lead to 6-0.
Bryce Ortega's sacrifice fly in the sixth extended the lead to 7-0 and put the Rebels deep in the hole.
Brady Zuniga (1-1) pitched a three-up, three-down seventh, striking out the last two batters to end the inning. Zuniga would eventually earn the win on the night, marking his first of the year.
Trent Cook started the rally with a leadoff walk and advanced to second following Rance Roundy's single to third base. Brandon Bayardi reached on a fielder's choice that would load the bases, setting up Cash Thomas' sacrifice fly to left field that scored Cook.
After a Travis Feiner groundout to first, Richie Jimenez singled up the middle, scoring Roundy and Bayardi to make it 7-3. Remington Pullin's base hit to left center was followed by Scott Berke being hit by a pitch to again load the bases for UNLV. Back-to-back singles by Hunter Beaty and Cook scored three runs and made it a one-run game at 7-6.
Roundy's second hit of the inning, a two-run double to left gave UNLV its first lead of the series at 8-7. Roundy would later score on Feiner's single to push the lead to 9-7.
Hartman took over in the eighth for Zuniga, retiring the side in order. After three-up, three-down inning for UNLV, Arizona had one last chance in the bottom of the ninth to close the gap.
With runners on first and second and two outs, Hartman got Robert Refsynder to groundout to second, sealing the come-from-behind thriller.
