STANFORD, Calif. (UNLVRebels.com) – The UNLV Rebels played a pair of one-run contests in a doubleheader against the No. 5 Stanford Cardinal Saturday at Sunken Diamond. The Rebels (4-3) scored two runs early in game one and held on for a 2-1 victory, while the host Cardinal (5-1) claimed the second tilt, 3-2, with a walk-off base hit in the ninth inning.
The game one victory was the first by UNLV over a nationally ranked squad since the 2018 edition knocked off then-No. 25 San Diego State, 4-3, in Las Vegas on March 23. Delving deeper, it was the first win over a top-10 team since a 6-1 triumph in 2017 (Feb. 24) over then-No. 7 Cal State Fullerton, and it was the first over a top-five club since 2015's 9-6 upset of then-No. 5 Arizona State (April 7).
Scoring was at a premium in Saturday's doubleheader, as the pitching staffs combined to only allow eight runs (seven earned), while striking out 30 against 26 hits. Overall, the Rebels' starting duo of
Cameron Jabara (1-0) and
Bradley Spooner threw 13.0 innings, struck out nine and gave up two runs (one earned) off of seven hits and five walks. On the other hand, Stanford's Jacob Palisch and Brendan Beck (0-1) tossed 11.1 frames and allowed three runs off of 13 hits with two walks and eight strikeouts.
GAME ONE RECAP: UNLV jumped out early with two runs in the first inning off a pair of two-out, run-scoring hits off Beck from
Edarian Williams (double) and
Max Smith (single) pushing across just enough runs to claim the upset win. Jabara (1-0) earned the victory – his first as a Rebel – going 7.0 innings before giving way to
Jackson Cofer threw the final two frames to record his third save of the year.
Stanford's lone tally came in the fourth when a pair of Rebel errors allowed Tim Tawa to score from second after he had initially led off the inning with a single and, subsequently, moved into scoring position with a stolen base.
GAME TWO RECAP: The game was a 1-0 affair through five innings of play, as the Cardinal scored the only run off a sacrifice fly in the second inning. Scoring picked up down the stretch with each team producing two runs beginning in the sixth until the final at-bat in the ninth.
UNLV drew even at 1-all in the sixth with help from a balk by Palisch after the squad had loaded the bases with singles from Williams and
Grant Robbins and a walk to
Jason Sharman.
The Cardinal reclaimed its one-run lead in the seventh when Will Matthiessen hit a solo home run off Rebel reliever
Conner Woods, who had just entered the game in relief of Spooner.
The Rebels tied it up, once again, in the ninth inning when
Bryson Stott scored off a groundout by
Dillon Johnson after getting on base with a one-out triple.
Stanford pushed ahead one last time in the home half of the ninth off an RBI double from Christian Robinson, who stepped to the plate with two out and runners in scoring position.
Tallon Thomason was called on to pitch with one out and runners on first and second. Thomason got the first batter he faced to ground out to Stott at shortstop, but the next – Robinson – hit the first pitch he saw to right field to end the day's action.
QUOTABLE: "Those were two well-fought, competitive games," said head coach
Stan Stolte. "(Cameron) Jabara and (Jackson) Cofer were outstanding in game one and (Bradley) Spooner and (Conner) Woods met the challenge also in the second game. I'm proud of the fact that we battled to the end. (Bryson) Stott had a great at-bat in the ninth and (Dillon) Johnson followed up and drove him in to tie it. The two leadoff walks both scored, which was the difference."
REBEL NOTES:
- UNLV leads the all-time series, which dates back to 1980, 8-4 over Stanford; all eight wins have taken place at Stanford.
- UNLV had won four in a row over Stanford until Saturday's loss in game two of the doubleheader.
- Stanford is ranked No. 5 by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and is in the top 10 of three other publications: No. 7 Baseball America, No. 7 Perfect game and No. 8 NCBWA. The Cardinal is No. 12 in D1Baseball.com's poll.
- Jabara, a junior transfer from Orange Coast College, earned his first win as a Rebel throwing 7.0 innings in game one. He allowed only one unearned run off of five hits with three strikeouts against three walks.
- Cofer, a senior transfer from Utah Valley, recorded six outs – two of which were strikeouts – for his third save of the season; all of which have been at least five outs in length.
- Spooner, a junior transfer from Saddleback College, recorded a no decision in game two. He threw 6.0 innings and allowed one run off of two hits with six strikeouts and two walks.
- Woods (0-1) was saddled with the loss in game two after he surrendered two runs off of one hit with three strikeouts and three walks.
-
James Gamble and Wiliams have pushed their hitting and reached-base streaks to six games after Saturday's doubleheader.
- Robbins also has a six-game reached-base streak to go with a four-game hitting streak.
UP NEXT: UNLV and Stanford conclude their three-game, nonconference series Sunday, with first pitch scheduled for 1:00 pm.
REBELS BACK HOME: UNLV returns to Las Vegas and Wilson Stadium on Feb. 26 to face its second straight Pac-12 opponent, the Utah Utes. The Tuesday contest is slated to start at 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.
