May 3, 2014
Final Stats
CLEMSON, S.C. (UNLVRebels.com) - With one out in bottom of the ninth inning, the bases loaded and the game tied at one, James Madison elected to shift the left fielder into the infield, giving the Dukes five infielders to face UNLV baseball's first baseman Patrick Armstrong.
The rare shift did not affect Armstrong, as he coolly stepped into the batter's box. He fought off multiple pitches before driving a 2-2 count over the right fielder's head, scoring Matt McCallister from third, which gave UNLV (29-16/16-8 Mountain West) a 2-1 victory over JMU (15-28).
It is the second time this season that the Rebels have won in walk-off fashion. The only other time was when Johnathan Torres hit a walk-off home run against UC Riverside on March 3.
The game on Saturday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium catered to the pitchers, as the wind was blowing in. The two teams combined for 13 hits and only three runs. James Madison got on the board in the third inning. The Dukes used three hits to score the first run of the game.
After that inning, UNLV starter John Richy (8-3) settled in and only allowed three more hits the rest of the game. Richy picked up his eighth win of the year after throwing his fifth complete game in 2014. He allowed one run on six hits and struck out seven while walking one.
JMU's starter Aaron Hoover scattered four hits across 6.0 innings and left the game without allowing a run. The centerfielder, Kevin Husum, came in for relief and allowed two runs on three his in 2.1 innings of work while striking out three and walking six, two of which were intentional.
The Rebels didn't plate their first run until the eighth inning when Justin Jones scored on a wild pitch, which tied the game.
In the ninth inning, Matt McCallister was walked to open the frame. He advanced to second on a wild pitch and to third after Joey Armstrong grounded out to second. Jones and T.J. White were then intentionally walked, giving Pat Armstrong the walk-off opportunity.
Jones and the Armstrong brothers finished with multiple hits in the game and Morgan Stotts also recorded a hit, which was a double in the sixth inning.
UNLV will next play Clemson on Sunday in Greenville, S.C. at Fluor Field, which is the home to the Boston Red Sox's single A affiliate, the Greenville Drive, at 11:00 a.m. PT. Fans in Las Vegas can watch the game live on MyLVTV, which is channel 12 (SD) and 1012 (HD) for Cox Cable subscribers and channel 21 (SD/HD) for Dish Network and DirecTV subscribers.
