LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – The UNLV baseball team was unable to complete the season-opening series sweep of the UNR Wolf Pack Sunday at Earl E. Wilson Stadium. The Rebels (2-1 overall, 2-1 MW) could not muster up much offense in the 6-1 loss to the Wolf Pack (4-3, 1-2) to close out the three-game, Mountain West set.
Just one day after recording 11 runs and 23 hits in a pair of victories Saturday, the Scarlet & Gray was only able to produce one run off of three hits Sunday off Wolf Pack starter Owen Sharts (1-0). The UNR hurler threw 6.0 innings and struck out seven against one run, two hits and four walks before giving way to Shane Gustafson, who earned a 3.0-inning save with five strikeouts.
The visitors from the northern portion of the Silver State took control of the contest with three runs spread over the third and fourth innings before three more were tacked on in the final two frames. UNR's 1-2-3 hitters combined to bat .500 (7-for-14) with four runs and three RBI. Dillan Shrum, the team's No. 3 batter, was responsible for half of the team's scoring, knocking in two off a double in the second and then scoring once off a two-run single by Logan Douglas in the eighth.
UNLV's Josh Sharman (0-1) suffered the loss in 6.0 innings of work. Sharman struck out three, but allowed three runs off of five hits and one walk. Troy Balko and Noah Beal combined to throw the final 3.0 innings, giving up three runs off of six hits.
Jack-Thomas Wold reached base safely three times, going 2-for-3 at the plate with one walk. Wold plated the Rebels only run of the contest with an RBI single in the sixth.
SILVER STATE SERIES: UNLV and UNR will resume their season series with three games in Reno in May. Those contests, which are scheduled for May 8-9 at Peccole Park, will help decide the distribution of the three points allotted for the sport towards the final standings of the 2020-21 Silver State Series presented by IBEW and Nevada Donor Network. To date, the all-encompassing athletic and academic competition is led by UNR by three points – 6.0-3.0.
UP NEXT: The Rebels stay home next weekend to host the New Mexico Lobos at Earl E. Wilson Stadium. The three-game, MW series begins Saturday (March 6) with game one of a doubleheader at 11:05 am. The series finale will take place Sunday (March 7) at 11:05 am.
