March 19, 2014
Final Stats
LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - UNLV baseball (14-6, 7-2 Mountain West) defeated North Dakota (2-10) 16-6 on Wednesday night at Earl E. Wilson Stadium. With the win, the Rebels move to a school-record 10-0 at home.
UNLV got on the board in the first inning, but North Dakota bounced back and took a 3-1 lead in the top of the third. In the bottom half of the frame the Rebels' offense exploded for seven runs recapture the lead at 8-3. The two teams traded runs in the fourth and were both held scoreless in the fifth and sixth innings.
In the top of the seventh, UND added another run cut the score to 9-5, but in the home half of the inning, the UNLV offense came alive again for another seven runs. North Dakota would add one more run in the top of the eighth but that would be as close as they would get as UNLV held on to win 16-6.
Cody Roper (1-0) started for the Rebels, but only pitched 3.2 innings where he allowed four runs on eight hits and walked two, but struck out a career-high eight batters. Matt Thomas (1-0) earned the win after pitching 3.1 innings where he allowed one run on three hits and struck out two without surrendering a walk. Andrew Encinas and Andrew Astone also made relief pitching appearances for UNLV.
From the plate the Rebels were led by senior Patrick Armstrong. Armstrong hit his first home run of the season in the seventh inning and finished a double shy of the cycle in the game. He was 3-for-4 on the night and drove in three runs while scoring two of his own. T.J. White also finished the game with three hits as he went 3-for-5, recorded two RBI and scored two runs. Dylan Ellis (2-for-4, three RBI), Morgan Stotts (2-for-6, two RBI), Erik VanMeetren (2-for-3, two RBI) and A.J. Hernandez (2-for-4, RBI) all finished with multiple hits in the game.
The Rebels will resume Mountain West play as they will host San Diego State for a three-game series starting on Friday. The opening game between the Aztecs and Rebels on Friday will be dubbed "Josh Stevens Night" and anyone wearing a Josh Stevens Foundation "Be Kind" shirt will get into the game for free. Kids will also be allowed to run the bases after 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 hours before 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.
