BOX SCORES: Game 1 | Game 2

MORGANTOWN, W.V. (UNLVRebels.com) - The No. 26 UNLV baseball team (23-10) split its nonconference doubleheader with the West Virginia Mountaineers (12-15) Friday afternoon at Monongalia County Ballpark. The Rebels won the opening contest, 11-4 in seven innings, and appeared to have the second game under control; however, the host Mountaineers scored seven unanswered runs to claim game two, 8-7 in nine.

The Scarlet & Gray hit .338 on the day with 23 hits, eight of which went for extra bases (six doubles and two home runs), and led to 18 RBI and 18 runs scored. The squad was paced by Nick Rodriguez was 5-for-10 (.500) at the plate, with two doubles, four RBI and three runs. Kyle Isbel and Jack-Thomas Wold also hit .500 with three and two hits, respectively, while Dillon Johnson and Nick Ames posted .429 (3-for-7) averages.

The Rebels got a pair of quality starts from Alan Strong and Chase Maddux, as they both threw 6.0 innings and allowed two runs. The former improved to 5-0 on the year with six strikeouts against seven hits and three walks, while the latter posted a no-decision after he gave up three hits and walked three.

Game 1: UNLV pushed out to a quick five-run lead off a pair of RBI singles, an RBI double and two run-producing groundouts. WVU answered with a run of its own in the bottom of the first, but the Rebels managed to add to their lead, outscoring the Mountaineers 6-1 between the third through fifth. The hosts added two runs with help from a two-out error in the seventh to bring the score to 11-4.

THE TURNING POINT: Everything went the Rebels way in the first inning, as the first three batters reached safely off a throwing error, a hit-by-pitch and a walk. An RBI single by Rodriguez started the scoring, while the next four batters knocked in one run apiece.

REBEL OF THE GAME: Ames went 2-for-4 at the plate with three RBI that were a result of a groundout, sac fly and single.

STAT OF THE GAME: Eight of UNLV's nine batters recorded at least one hit in the game, while seven of those scored a minimum of one run. Seven of the nine also were credited with at least one RBI.

Game 2: UNLV's offense clicked early -- like in game one -- with four first-inning runs. The Rebels added three more runs in the fifth to up their lead to six, 7-1, with WVU scoring once in the second. The Mountaineers got one run in the sixth before they pushed five across in the eighth off of four hits, one walk and two groundouts to pull even at 7-all. In the ninth, WVU took advantage of a lead-off walk to complete the comeback with a walk-off win.

THE TURNING POINT: The Mountaineers, who were limited to three hits over the first seven innings of play, managed to register four in the eighth to rally for five runs off Rebel relievers Conner Woods and Bryan Menendez (2-1). They got a pair of singles to open the frame before a walk loaded the bases. An RBI single cut into the deficit and kept the bases juiced. After UNLV made a pitching change, WVU got a three-run double to pull within one run, 7-6, while a pair of groundouts followed to knot the score at 7-all.

REBEL OF THE GAME: Rodriguez had two run-producing doubles in the game. In all, he was responsible for five runs, as he knocked in three RBI and scored twice.

STAT OF THE GAME: The Rebels 4-5-6 hitters combined for five hits with all seven of the team's RBI as well as three runs. The team, which had nine hits in the game, got four hits from its 1-2-3 batters and none from its 7-8-9 trio.

QUOTABLE: "The team did a great job all day," said head coach Stan Stolte. "We had an opportunity to sweep a good team on the road, but we couldn't overcome a couple obvious things that didn't go our way late in the game. I'm proud of our kids. They played their hearts out today in extremely tough conditions."

REBEL NOTES:
- The Rebels are 16-5 in nonconference contests and 7-5 in Mountain West games.
- The Rebels are 15-3 in home games and 8-7 in road games.
- The Rebels are now 17-6 when they score six or more runs.
- The Rebels are now 17-4 when they limit an opponent to five or fewer runs and 6-6 when an opponent scores six or more runs.
- The Rebels are now 17-2 when they score first and 10-3 when they score in the first inning.
- The Rebels are now 17-3 when they outhit an opponent.
- The Rebels have notched 10 or more hits in 25 games, with a 18-7 record in these contests.
- With hits in both games of the doubleheader, Stott has upped his hitting streak to 10 games.
- Three Rebels extended their reached-base streaks: Grant Robbins (27th), Stott (21st) and Kyle Isbel (21st).
- Blaze Bohall made his 87th career appearance as a Rebel in game one, and he is now one mound visit shy of tying Ben Scheinbaum (2001-04) for the second-most appearances in UNLV baseball history.

UP NEXT: UNLV and WVU will take Saturday off due to the threat of inclement weather, but they will return to Monongalia County Ballpark Sunday for the rubber game of the series. First pitch is slated for 9:00 am PT (12:00 pm ET).

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. The affair is being billed as $2 Tuesday with $2 hot dogs and $2 sodas, while beer is discounted by $2. Additionally, the first 250 fans through the stadium gates will get the first of three special edition commemorative coins.

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.