Feb. 15, 2014
Final Stats
LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - UNLV baseball (3-0) captured two more wins on the second day of the season, beating Central Michigan (0-3) 5-2 in the matinée contest and rallying to defeat the Chippewas 11-8 in the nightcap.
"It was a really long day today," head coach Tim Chambers said. "We fought hard to get two wins despite letting them back into the second game. Giving up a lot of runs can really wear on a team, but our guys just kept fighting and found the energy to come back get the win."
In the first game, the Rebels got on the board when T.J. White hit a two-out single to score Johnathan Torres from second. White scored on the next pitch after Patrick Armstrong doubled down the left field line. Armstrong was brought in when Stotts doubled to left field, giving UNLV a 3-0 lead.
From there it was junior right-hander John Richy's show. Richy pitched 7.1 innings and struck out seven while allowing only two hits. His two earned runs came after he hit a batter and walked another in the eighth inning and was relieved by Joey Lauria. Lauria gave up two hits and both runners came around to score, cutting the Rebels' lead to 5-2. With runners on second and third with one out, Lauria worked out of the jam by striking out the next two batters.
Cody Roper made his first appearance in the ninth inning and faced one batter, striking him out, to earn the first save of his career.
From the plate, Torres was 2-for-3 and scored a run and Stotts finished 2-for-4, scoring a run and recording an RBI.
The Rebels jumped on the Chips early in the second game, scoring six runs in the first four innings and adding another in the sixth to take a 7-0 lead. CMU rallied, scoring eight runs in the top of the seventh inning, giving the Chippewas their first lead of the weekend.
UNLV answered by scoring four runs in the bottom half of the frame to give them an 11-8 lead. Brayden Torres, who came on for relief in the top of the seventh, worked through the final 2.2 innings. He held off another CMU rally and earned his first win of the year.
Stotts finished 3-for-5 with three RBI in the second game and was 5-for-9 with four RBI on the day. Joey Armstrong (2-for-6), Joey Swanner (2-for-5) and Erik VanMeetren (2-for-3) also had multiple hits in the second contest.
The Rebels and Central Michigan will wrap up the four-game series on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. Sophomore Bryan Bonnell will get the nod for the Rebels, while sophomore LHP Adam Aldred will go for the Chippewas. The game will be streamed live on UNLVRebels.com and fans in Las Vegas can listen on 920 The Game.
Fans can purchase their tickets to any home games online and save money. Visit UNLVtickets.com to purchase a ticket for just $5 and select the "Free Will Call" option. The deal expires three hoursbefore the first pitch of every home game. Prices for individual games are $8 for adults, $6 for faculty/staff and seniors and $5 for groups of 15 or more (group tickets must be purchased at least one day in advance for the game). Children 12 and under and UNLV students with a valid student I.D. are free.
