March 28, 2014
Final Stats
LINCOLN, Neb. (UNLVRebels.com) - UNLV baseball (18-7/9-3 Mountain West), which is ranked No. 25 by Perfect Game, beat Nebraska 5-2 in the series opener on a frigid Friday night at Haymarket Park.
The Rebels' got on the board in the top of the fourth inning after Patrick Armstrong double to center field, scoring Justin Jones from third. Jones reached earlier in the frame on a single to right field and then promptly stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch.
Unlike the weather, the UNLV bats heated up in the fifth inning. Matt McCallister hit a two out single and stole second, then scored after Joey Swanner singled. Justin Jones followed that up with his second home run of the season to give the Rebels a 4-0 lead over the Huskers.
Nebraska plated a run in the bottom of the fifth and the bottom of the seventh to cut the lead to 4-2. UNLV added an insurance run in the top of the eighth when Erik VanMeetren singled to right field, scoring T.J. White.
After that it was up to reliever Brayden Torres (4) to close out the game. He allowed one hit in 2.0 innings of work and struck out three to earn the save.
UNLV junior Erick Fedde (5-1) earned the win after allowing two runs on four hits in 7.0 innings of work. He struck out three and walked two in his seventh quality start of the year and eighth consecutive quality start dating back to last season.
Pat Armstrong led the Rebel attack from the plate, finishing 3-for-4 with an RBI. Jones (2-for-4) and McCallister (2-for-4) also finished with multiple hits on the night and Jones drove in a game-high two runs.
UNLV and Nebraska will meet for the second game on Saturday at 2:05 p.m. CT/12:05 p.m. PT. The Rebels will send junior John Richy (4-1, 2.59 ERA) to the mound while the Huskers probable pitcher will be junior Chance Sinclair (4-0, 0.51 ERA). Fans can listen to the game for free on Huskers.com or can watch the game for a minimal fee on the same site.
