Box Score March 27, 2018 Box Score
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (UNLVRebels.com) - The No. 25 UNLV baseball team (21-5) rebounded from a pair of weekend losses with a much needed win, a 3-0 blanking of the Utah Utes (4-19) Tuesday afternoon at Smith's Ballpark. The Rebels scored one run in the second, fourth and fifth innings, while six pitchers combined to shut out the Pac-12 squad.
The Scarlet & Gray capitalized on two-out scoring opportunities, as Jack-Thomas Wold got the offense started with an RBI single in the second after Max Smith and Grant Robbins had reached via a single and an error. In the fourth, Nick Ames took a 3-1 pitch out of the ballpark with a solo homer to right field. Nick Rodriguez added an insurance tally in the fifth with an RBI double.
Garrett Poole (1-0) earned the win, in 4.1 innings, for the Rebels after striking out four against three hits and no walks. Blaze Bohall entered the affair in the fifth with the bases loaded; however, his third pitch brought about a 5-4-3, inning ending double play. The quartet of Donavon McCrystal, Conner Woods, Austin Anderson and Bryan Menendez tossed one scoreless frame apiece.
Menedez's effort garnered him his ninth save of the season, which puts him in a three-way tie with Brayden Torres (2014) and Rob Luce (1996) for the second most in a single season -- they trail Ben Wright's 11 from 2016. For his career, Menendez sits in fifth place with 14 saves -- Torres is fourth with 15.
THE TURNING POINT: With UNLV holding a 3-0 lead, Bohall was summoned from the bullpen with the bases loaded. He managed to keep Utah off the scoreboard with an inning-ending, double play. For the game, Utah left seven runners on base and only three made it as far as third base.
REBEL OF THE GAME: Ames went 2-for-5 at the plate with a pair of home runs, four RBI and two runs. He put UNLV up by one run, 3-2, in the bottom of the first with a two-run homer, and then added a solo shot in the seventh.
QUOTABLE: "Baseball is a crazy game; to go from getting lit up for 18 straight innings to throwing a shutout is why you never know," said head coach Stan Stolte. "(Garrett) Poole gave us a great start and the five guys that followed did their jobs. We needed that win going into a weekend against a good UNR club."
STAT OF THE GAME: Utah's offense was limited to only five hits, while it also struck out just as many times (five).
REBEL NOTES:
- The Rebels' 21-5 record is the best start through 26 games in program history.
- The Rebels are 15-2 in nonconference contests and 6-3 in Mountain West games.
- The Rebels are 15-3 in home games and 6-2 in road games.
- The Rebels are 4-0 against the Pac-12 Conference this season with wins over Utah (two), Arizona State (one) and Oregon (one).
- The Rebels are 3-1 in shutouts this season, and last posted three in a season was during the 2016 campaign.
- The Rebels are 21-3 when they score three or more runs in a game, and 2-0 when it scores exactly three runs -- both of which came against Utah.
- The Rebels are 6-0 when they hold an opponent to two or less runs.
- The Rebels are 16-0 when they score first.
- The Rebels are now 15-0 after the sixth inning, 16-0 after the seventh and 18-0 after the eighth when leading.
- The Rebels are 15-4 when they hit at least one home run.
- The Rebels are 16-1 when they outhit an opponent.
- The Rebels have notched 10 or more hits in 21 games, and own a 17-4 record in those contests.
- Three Rebels notched multiple-hit games: Smith (13), Wold (10) and Robbins (eight).
- Five Rebels extended their reached-base streaks: Smith (25), Robbins (20), Rodriguez (17), Bryson Stott (14) and Kyle Isbel (14).
UP NEXT: UNLV continues its road ways with a three-game, Mountain West series in the northern portion of the state at UNR. Games one and two are scheduled for 6:00 pm Thursday and Friday, while the third contest is Saturday at 1:00 pm. The results of these games and the series hosted by the Rebels in mid-May will decide which side will earn the three points associated for the sport in the standings of the Governor's Series presented by NV Energy and Barrick Gold.
BACK AT EARL E.: UNLV returns to Las Vegas and Earl E. Wilson Stadium on April 10 (6:05 pm) against the Arizona State Sun Devils.
SINGLE-GAME TICKETS: Fans can purchase single-game tickets online and in-advance for only $5; however, they must be purchased through UNLVTickets.com three hours prior to first pitch. Single-game tickets for the 12 remaining home games are priced at $8 for adults, $6 for senior/faculty/staff and $4 for groups of 15 or more. As always, UNLV students (with Rebel Card) and kids 12 and under are always free.
