April 13, 2014
Final Stats
By Paul Delos Santos
Special to UNLVRebels.com
LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - No. 17/20 UNLV baseball (25-11/13-5 Mountain West) was unable to complete the three-game sweep of San José State (11-25/6-12 MW), following a 4-3 extra inning loss Sunday at Earl E. Wilson Stadium.
The game was a season-long in innings (14) and time (3 hours and 49 minutes) for both teams. With the loss, the Rebels, who are ranked No. 17 by Perfect Game and No. 20 by Baseball America, fall to 15-2 at home this season.
San José State got things started early, scoring three runs in the first inning off of starting pitcher Bryan Bonnell. The Rebels got a run back in the home half when Erik VanMeetren brought home T.J. White on a RBI double down the right field line.
VanMeetren struck again in the fifth inning, driving in two runs with a single to center field that brought home Joey Swanner and Matt McCallister to tie the game at 3.
San José State scored the go-ahead run in the top half of the 14th inning after Matt Carroll drove in Jacob Valdez on a single to center field.
UNLV threatened again in the bottom half of the 14th. White led off the inning with a double. He advanced to third following a Joey Armstrong fly out to right field, but SJSU pitcher Jackson Berumen (2-0) was able to keep White from scoring, shutting the door on the game.
VanMeetren went 2-for-4 with three RBI, while White went 2-for-4 with a run scored to lead the Rebels from the plate.
Bonnell (4-2) settled down after the rocky first, pitching seven scoreless innings after the three-run first. He completed eight innings, allowing three runs on seven hits with five strikeouts. Bonnell also notched his eighth consecutive quality start in the no decision.
Joey Lauria took the loss, falling to 2-2 on the season. He worked six innings in relief of Bonnell, allowing one run on seven hits and struck out five.
UNLV hits the road next week and will next play on Tuesday for a midweek game against Arizona State in Tempe, Ariz. First pitch is scheduled 6:30 p.m. PT, and the game will be streamed live via the Pac 12 Network. The Rebels will then travel to Colorado Springs, Colo. for a three-game set against Air Force, starting Thursday.
UNLV's next home series will take place against New Mexico with the first game scheduled for Friday, April 25.
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.
