LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – The UNLV baseball team recorded a 16-2 win over the St. John's Red Storm to complete the three-game, nonconference series sweep at Earl E. Wilson Stadium Sunday. The Rebels (6-10) scored early and often, pushing across four runs in the first inning and three more over the second and third to hold a commanding six-run lead, 7-1, over the Red Storm (3-9) en route to the 14-run victory.
The Scarlet & Gray notched single-game highs in runs (16), hits (19) and RBI (15) as well as extra-base hits (nine), doubles (six) and total bases (33) in Sunday's triumph over the squad from Queens, N.Y.
The offense was paced by six Rebels who posted multiple-hit games, with
James Gamble,
Austin Kryszczuk and
Edarian Williams logging three hits apiece, while
Grant Robbins,
Trevor Rosenberg and
Jack-Thomas Wold had two each.
Williams was a key figure in UNLV's scoring output with three runs and three RBI. Robbins contributed three RBI and two runs. Additionally, Pfeifer added two RBI and two runs, Kryszczuk had two RBI and one run, and Gamble had two runs and one RBI.
UNLV got the scoring started in the first off an RBI single by Wold that was followed by back-to-back, run-producing hits by Williams (two-run triple) and
Alex Sardina (RBi single).
St. John's got one run back in the top of the second only to see the Rebels push two across in the home half of the frame off a wild pitch and an RBI single by Kryszczuk. Robbins and Pfeifer added a run apiece in the third and fifth, respectively, with solo home runs.
Each team scored once in the fifth, but it was the Rebel offense that would erupt in the sixth for six runs off seven hits. UNLV capped the scoring in the seventh with two more runs.
Rebel starting pitcher
Josh Sharman (2-1) earned his second straight win. Sharman threw 6.0 innings, striking out four against two runs off five hits and three walks. He was followed to the mound by Larry Quaney,
Ty Pohlmann and
Haydn King, and the trio combined to hold the Red Storm scoreless for the final 3.0 innings.
St. John's Ian Murphy (1-2) was on the hook for the loss after giving up seven runs off nine hits and one walk in 3.0 innings of work. The Red Storm used a total of four relievers, and the first three were touched for nine runs off nine hits in 4.0 innings. Ethan Routzahn tossed a scoreless eighth for St. John's.
QUOTABLE: "It was a good weekend for us in all phases of the game," said head coach
Stan Stolte. "The kids answered the bell and played well with good energy."
NOTES:
-UNLV's weekend sweep was the first in a three-game series since it took all three from Iowa on March 9-11, 2018; Rebels also won a four-game series against Columbia (Feb. 23-25) earlier that season.
-UNLV's aforementioned single-game highs surpassed the previous marks of 12 runs, 14 hits, 12 RBI, eight extra-base hits and 29 total bases posted in Saturday's 12-2 win.
-UNLV's 16 runs, 19 hits and 15 RBI are the most since the team recorded 18 runs, 25 hits and 16 RBI at New Mexico on May 11, 2019.
-In the three-game series against St. John's, UNLV dominated the Red Storm in all facets of the game: batting average (.407-.184), runs (34-5), hits (46-18), doubles (13-2), triples (4-0), RBI (32-5), total bases (79-29), slugging percentage (.669-.296) and on-base percentage (.453-.252).
-The five runs allowed to St. John's this weekend were the fewest give up in a three-game series since Iowa had a total of five runs vs. UNLV in March 2018.
-On the mound, UNLV's pitching staff owned a 1.67 ERA in 27.0 innings of work, with 18 strikeouts against five runs, 18 hits and eight walks.
-St. John's pitching staff had a 12.00 ERA in 24.0 innings, with 19 strikeouts against 34 runs (32 earned) off 46 hits and 11 walks.
UP NEXT: UNLV stays home for a two-game, midweek series against the Houston Cougars this week. The Rebels and Cougars are slated to play Tuesday at 6:05 pm and Wednesday at 1:05 pm at Earl E. Wilson Stadium.
