LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – The UNLV baseball team (0-3) lost both games of Saturday's twin bill against the Central Michigan Chippewas (3-0) Saturday at Earl E. Wilson Stadium. The Chippewas rallied to claim the day's first contest, 12-8, before running away with the second affair, 8-0.
 
The Rebels were led offensively by Eric Bigani and James Gamble who both hit .500 on the day with identical 4-for-8 performances at the plate. Bigani added three RBI and scored once, while Gamble provided two runs and one RBI. Additionally, Austin Pfeifer had three RBI and Jack-Thomas Wold scored twice.
 
GAME ONE RECAP: The game played out eerily similar to Friday night's season opener, in that the Chippewas scored four times in the third inning and later pulled away with help from an offensive outburst in the seventh inning. CMU led 4-0 after its third-inning at-bat; however, UNLV answered with two runs in the home half of the frame and four more in the fifth to claim a two-run lead, 6-4. Unfortunately, the Chippewas rallied for five in the seventh and three in the eighth to double up the Rebels, 12-6, at that point. UNLV was able to score twice in the ninth, but it wasn't enough in the 12-8 loss.
 
Bigani went 4-for-5 in the game and produced three RBI and one run, while Pfeifer was 1-for-4 with three RBI. Gamble went 2-for-4 and had two runs and one RBI.
 
GAME ONE TURNING POINT: Trailing UNLV by two, 6-4, heading into the seventh, CMU sent nine batters to the plate and scored five runs off of three hits and help from two walks and a hit-by-pitch. The Chippewas pulled within one, 6-5, off a bases-loaded groundout and then took the lead for good off a two-run single.
 
GAME TWO RECAP: Once again, the third inning was the igniter for the Chippewas, as the team opened the scoring with two runs. CMU doubled their edge to four runs with another two-spot in the fifth before adding four insurance runs over the seventh (three runs) and eighth (one). UNLV was held off the scoreboard for the first time this season, and was limited to only four hits.
 
GAME TWO TURNING POINT: UNLV had a chance to stake itself to an early lead after loading the bases in the bottom of the first, but came up empty. Two innings later, CMU broke through with a two-run home run after a single began the stanza.
 
QUOTABLE: "Central Michigan is a more mature, confident team right now and it's really showing," said head coach Stan Stolte. "We just have to keep fighting through this and not feel sorry for ourselves and come out and compete as hard as we possibly can."
 
NOTES:
- In the head-to-head series, UNLV leads CMU by four games, 11-7, after Saturday's results.
 
UP NEXT: UNLV and CMU wrap up their four-game, nonconference series Sunday at Earl E. Wilson Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 pm.