Box Score

IOWA CITY, Iowa (UNLVRebels.com) - The UNLV baseball team (10-18) opened its three-game, nonconference series against the Iowa Hawkeyes (15-9) with a 3-0 loss Friday in frigid conditions at Duane Banks Field. A run in the third inning was all the Hawkeyes needed in the low-scoring affair as both starting pitchers, Alan Strong (UNLV) and Nick Gallagher (Iowa), limited the opposition offensively.

Both starters threw a minimum of seven innings and struck out at least six batters in the pitchers' duel between Strong (3-2) and Gallagher (3-1). The former, who struck out seven, went longer in the bout, but allowed three runs off of six hits in 7.2 innings of work while the latter tossed 7.0 frames and only surrendered three hits.

"Alan did everything possible to get us going, but we may have run into the toughest pitcher, yet, that we have faced this year," said head coach Stan Stolte. "Gallagher really neutralized our left-handed hitters with a backdoor slider and was as close to perfect as we've seen this year. The kids are battling and we are determined to get back on track."

The Hawkeyes pushed across the game's first run in the third off a groundout from Chris Whelan moments after Mitchell Boe hit a one-out triple to left-center field.

The game remained a one-run affair until the eighth when Iowa was able to score two off a two-out double from Tyler Cropley. Jake Adams and Ben Norman scored on the two-base hit after they had initially reached safely off a double and an intentional walk issued by Strong. Blaze Bohall entered in relief of Strong after the hit and got the final out.

Iowa's Josh Martsching was credited with his second save of the season after throwing the eighth and ninth.

The Rebels were held to a season-low three hits and, in turn, left five runners on base. UNLV left two on in both the second and seventh and one more in the ninth.

The series concludes Saturday with a doubleheader. Game one is scheduled to begin at 10:05 am PT (12:05 pm CT) while the second is slated to start approximately 30 minutes after the first ends. Changes were made to the schedule due to a 90 percent chance of rain in Iowa City Sunday.

NOTES: UNLV's Payton Squier and Ernie De La Trinidad saw their 17- and 16-game hitting streaks come to an end Friday … Additionally, Squier's 27-game reached-base streak was snapped, too; however De La Trinidad and Ames' were extended to 21 and 16, respectively.