LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – The UNLV baseball team (2-7) jumped back in the win column with a 6-4 victory over the Creighton Bluejays (3-4) in the series opener Friday at Earl E. Wilson Stadium. The Rebels struck first with two runs in the first and never looked back en route to the two-run triumph over their Big East visitors from Omaha, Nebraska.
 
The Rebels notched nine hits in the contest, but also got some timely help from three defensive miscues in the first and sixth innings to assist in the team's scoring.
 
With the assistance of a fielding error after a one-out double by James Gamble, the speedy center fielder found himself at third base before he advanced 60 feet to home plate off an RBI groundout by Jack-Thomas Wold. Edarian Williams followed Wold's at-bat with a double down the left-field line, and then came around to score off an RBI single by Eric Bigani.
 
Those two Rebel runs were the first allowed by Creighton's Dylan Tebrake (2-1), who had entered Friday's tussle with a 0.00 ERA and 13 strikeouts through 12.0 innings of work. Tebrake lasted 5.2 innings on the mound for the Bluejays, allowing six runs (two earned) off eight hits. He has yet to allow a walk on the year, but struck out six to up his yearly tally to 19.
 
Creighton was able to cut into UNLV's lead in the second when UNLV's Ryan Hare had some control issues, as the right-hander walked four batters in the inning to allow one run.
 
The contest remained a one-run affair until the Rebels produced three runs off of four hits and help from two Creighton errors. Moments after Williams reached on a one-out fielding error, Bigani drilled an RBI double to up the lead back to two runs at 3-1. Two batters later, Bigani made his way home off an RBI single by Chris Dunn. UNLV found itself having runners in scoring position following a throwing error off a grounder put in play by Grant Robbins. Both wound up scoring off a two-run single by Amelburu to cap the Scarlet & Gray's scoring.
 
The Bluejays threatened in the seventh, scoring twice off three hits and one error, but Haydn King came on and stopped the comeback bid en route to recording his first save as a Rebel. King threw the final 2.2 innings and did not allow a run nor a hit, while striking out three – including the final batter looking.
 
TURNING POINT: King came on in the seventh with one out and runners on first and second and the teams separated by only three runs at 6-3. He immediately induced a low liner to second base, but it was misplayed and allowed Creighton to load the bases. The redshirt sophomore wound up getting a fielder's choice for the second out; however, a run scored to cut the deficit to two at 6-4. He then ended the visitor's half of the inning, getting a foul out to Wold at first base.
 
QUOTABLE: "That was a good, hard-fought win over a very good Creighton team," said head coach Stan Stolte. "Haydn King came in and really battled to close that out. Gamble, Bigani and Amelburu had great at-bats all night for us, offensively."
 
NOTES:
-Hare (1-1) picked up his first win of the season, going 5.0 innings with seven strikeouts, but allowed one run off of five hits and four walks.
-With his two hits, Bigani has five multiple-hit games this season
-With his two hits, Gamble has extended his hitting streak to five straight and reached-base streak to five games, and posted his fifth multiple-hit game.
-With his hit-by-pitch in the third inning, Alex Sardina has reached base safely in seven straight games.
 
UP NEXT: UNLV continues its nonconference series with Creighton the next two days, with Saturday's contest scheduled for 2:05 pm, while Sunday's is at 1:05 pm.