LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – The UNLV baseball team (1-5) suffered a pair of losses to the Alabama Crimson Tide (6-0) Friday at Earl E. Wilson Stadium. The Crimson Tide claimed the first contest of the twin bill, 8-0, and rallied late in the nightcap to claim the second affair, 5-4.
 
Four Rebels had a minimum of two hits in the doubleheader, with Eric Bigani and James Gamble both going 4-for-8 at the plate. Bigani chipped in two RBI, while Gamble scored once. Grant Robbins and Jack-Thomas Wold chipped in three- and two-hit efforts, respectively, with each adding one RBI.
 
GAME ONE RECAP: Alabama's Sam Praytor paced the squad offensively with a pair of home runs, two RBI and two runs scored in a perfect 3-for-3 day at the plate, which included one walk. Praytor put the Crimson Tide on the scoreboard early with a solo homer to open the second inning. After his squad had upped the lead to 4-0 after pushing two across in the third and one more in the fifth, he delivered another solo shot in the sixth. Alabama closed out the scoring in the eighth with three more tallies, two of which were off sacrifice flies.
 
Connor Prielipp (2-0), Tyler Ras and Ryan O'Connell combined to hold the Rebel offense scoreless and strikeout 11 batters in the game. Prielipp got the start and held UNLV hitless threw 6.0 innings, striking out eight against one walk. Ras and O'Connell were touched for eight hits in the final 4.0 innings of the game, but did not allow a run or walk, while striking out three.
 
UNLV's Ryan Hare (0-1) was dealt the loss after throwing 6.0 innings, with five strikeouts against five runs (four earned).
 
GAME TWO RECAP: Alabama took an early lead off a sac fly by Praytor in the first; however, UNLV answered back in the home half of the frame with an RBI single from Jack-Thomas Wold. The Crimson Tide was able to reclaim the edge in the second and up it to two runs off RBI doubles in both the second and third innings. The Rebels countered in the third with a game-tying, two-run single from Bigani, and a go-ahead RBI double from Robbins in the fourth that flipped the scoreboard to the home side's favor at 4-3. Scoring ceased for three innings until Alabama evened it up at 4-all in the eighth off a groundout. The Crimson Tide pulled ahead for good in the ninth off a solo home run from Jackson Tate.
 
Each team used four pitchers in the contest, with both starting pitchers – Alabama's Connor Shamblin and UNLV's Chase Maddux – earning no-decisions after throwing 5.0 innings. Shamblin struck out four, but allowed four runs (three earned) off seven hits and one walk. Maddux, on the other hand, fanned five, walked one and gave up four runs off six hits. Ultimately, it was Brock Guffey (1-0) and Chase Lee (save No. 2) who were on the right side of the decision for Alabama, as each threw 1.0 inning and struck out one. Bradley Spooner (1-2) was saddled with the loss for UNLV, giving up two runs off of three hits and two walks in 1.1 innings of relief.
 
GAME TWO TURNING POINT: In the bottom of the seventh, Gamble led off with a single and nearly made it a two-run contest, 5-3, one pitch later off a double by Wold. Gamble sprinted around the bases following Wold's hit to the gap in left center; however, Alabama's defense was able to execute a 7-6-2 putout at the plate. Wold wound up being stranded at second when Guffey got the next two batters out.
 
The Crimson Tide carried the momentum into its eighth-inning at-bat and was able to tie the game at 4-all after T.J. Reeves and Tyler Gentry reached safely off a one-out walk and a single, respectively. The pair moved up 60 feet off a wild pitch thrown to Praytor moments before he tied the game with a groundout to Trevor Rosenberg at shortstop.
 
QUOTABLE: "We competed much better today against a very good program," said head coach Stan Stolte. "In the first game, Alabama's starter was dominant and once they got up 3-4 runs it was going to be tough to catch them. I'm proud of the fight in the second game. A couple of plays made the difference in a game either team could have won. They executed a perfect relay throw to throw out an add-on run for us and then we moved up a couple runners for them in a crucial situation with a wild pitch. That's how you win or lose one-run games."
 
NOTES:
- In the head-to-head series, UNLV and Alabama are now tied at 4-all. Friday's losses snapped a three-game win streak UNLV had held dating back to 1988.
 
UP NEXT: UNLV and Alabama will have Saturday off due to the possibility of inclement weather in the Las Vegas Valley, but will resume the series Sunday morning at 10:05 am at Earl E. Wilson Stadium.