LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – The UNLV baseball team (2-2) suffered a 13-2 loss to the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos (2-1) Tuesday night. The Gauchos jumped out to an early lead with a run in the first and then distanced themselves from the Rebels with a six-run third en route to the victory on a chilly evening at Earl E. Wilson Stadium.
UCSB's offense was sparked by second baseman Andrew Martinez who was 3-for-4 at the plate and fell a double short of the cycle after hitting a triple in the first, a single in the third and a home run in the sixth. He scored on all three of those at-bats and also produced two RBI, which came in the third and sixth innings.
Besides Martinez's efforts, the Gauchos' 4-7 hitters combined to knock in eight RBI and score five runs off of three hits.
The Rebels were only able to get on the scoreboard in the third when
Grant Robbins delivered a two-out triple to score
Dillon Johnson and
Edarian Williams, who were on base after recording singles.
The Gauchos scored six runs in the latter innings with one in the sixth and five more in the eighth.
THE TURNING POINT: Moments after UNLV stranded runners on the corners in the home half of the second, UCSB opened the game up in the third inning with six runs off of three hits, two walks and one hit. Martinez got the frame started with an RBI single, while Thomas Rowan and Armani Smith followed with a two-run triple and a three-run home run.
REBEL OF THE GAME: Robbins for going 2-for-3 at the plate and producing the Rebels only scoring off a two-run triple.
QUOTABLE: "When you have two innings get away from you against a team as good as UC Santa Barbara you have zero chance to succeed," said UNLV head coach
Stan Stolte. "We walked and hit too many guys that just made it such an uphill battle all night. We had a great opportunity in the first inning with the first two good at-bats, but got nothing out of it. (Troy) Balko pitched much better than the box score shows and for his first college outing he really competed."
STAT OF THE GAME: UNLV's offense was only able to muster two runs against UCSB despite getting a total of 12 runners on base throughout the game. The Rebels stranded two runners in three innings, with two of those missed opportunities coming in the first and second. Moreover, four of the 10 runners left on base were in scoring position.
REBEL NOTES:
- UNLV leads the all-time series, which dates back to 1975, with UCSB 31-19-1.
- UCSB's Jack Dashwood (1-0) picked up the win in 5.0 innings, with seven strikeouts against two runs, five hits and two walks.
-
Troy Balko (0-1) made his debut for the Rebels, and went 2.1 innings on the mound with three strikeouts against seven runs, five hits and two walks.
- Besides Balko, four other Rebels played in their first collegiate games Tuesday, as
Chase Hanson,
Jason Sharman and
Austin Pfeifer entered as pinch hitters, and
Isaiah Montoya threw one inning of relief.
UP NEXT: UNLV returns to Earl E. Wilson Stadium Wednesday afternoon to close out the two-game, midweek series against UCSB. First pitch is slated for 2:05 pm.
PURCHASE TICKETS: Tickets are now on sale for the 2019 season. Season tickets are just $90 for adults (13 and older) and $75 for UNLV faculty, staff and alumni, and seniors (62-plus). Single-game ticket prices this season are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors, faculty and staff seniors, and $4 for groups of 15 or more. Fans that purchase tickets online up to three hours prior to first pitch can get them for an advanced single-game price of $5.
All high school, middle school and elementary students are now free under UNLV's new admission policy. To receive free admission, high school students must present valid Nevada area school I.D. at the box office on gameday to receive one (1) complimentary ticket. All other students will receive a complimentary ticket at the box office (no I.D. required). Kids not yet elementary school age will continue to receive free admission for all UNLV Olympic sports.
