SAN DIEGO (UNLVRebels.com) – The UNLV baseball team (6-2 overall, 6-2 MW) played its first games away from Las Vegas and Earl E. Wilson Stadium Saturday, and came away with a split of Saturday's Mountain West doubleheader against the San Diego State Aztecs (8-4, 3-2 MW). The Rebels lost the opening tilt in a tightly contested, 3-1 decision before they rebounded with a 5-1 triumph in the second affair at Tony Gwynn Stadium.
With only a total of 10 runs scored on the day, pitching was at a premium as both staffs combined for a 2.05 ERA, allowing eight earned runs in 35.0 innings of work. UNLV used a pair of pitchers in both outings and the quartet recorded a 1.59 ERA after giving up three earned runs in 17.0 innings. SDSU, on the other hand, had a 2.50 ERA after it surrendered five earned runs in 18.0 innings.
Offensively, both teams posted 13 hits with UNLV hitting .200 (13-for-65), just three points lower than SDSU's .203 (13-for-64) average. The Rebels had only one extra-base – an
Austin Kryszczuk two-run home run in game two, while the Aztecs had three doubles; however, each had 16 total bases.
GAME 1 RECAP: After falling behind 1-0 after the Aztecs got a run in the second, the Rebels answered with their only tally of the game in the third off an RBI single from
Diego Alarcon off SDSU starter Michael Paredes (1-0), who followed with five straight 1-2-3 frames until giving way to Tre Brown for the save in the ninth.
SDSU took control of the game with help from a fielding error and an RBI single from Matt Rudick in the fifth before tacking on an insurance run in the sixth off a sacrifice fly from Ryan Orr off Rebel starter
Chase Maddux (1-1).
Both Paredes and Maddux pitched into the eighth inning, with the former going the full 8.0 frames with six strikeouts against one run off three hits to the latter's 7.2 innings pitched with six strikeouts, three runs (two earned) and eight hits.
GAME 2 RECAP: The Rebels took control of game two early with help from Kryszczuk's homer in the second inning. The Aztecs were able to cut their deficit in half an inning later with an RBI single from Wyatt Hendrie. It took until the sixth, but UNLV got that run back off an RBI single from
Trevor Rosenberg and then pulled away in the eighth when
Jack-Thomas Wold and
Myles Denson knocked in runs off a single and a fielder's choice.
Rebel pitchers
Bradley Spooner (1-0) and
Conner Woods (save No. 1) combined to strikeout nine batters and limit the Aztecs to only one run off five hits and one walk. SDSU used three hurlers in the game and each allowed a minimum of one run, with starter Troy Melton (2-1) allowing three runs off six hits and five walks.
NOTES:
-With Saturday's split, UNLV sits 6-2 on the year marking the 14th instance a Rebel team has opened a year with two or fewer losses.
-With Saturday's split, UNLV has won four of the last five against San Diego State.
-Maddux has thrown at least 5.0 innings in all three starts this season, going 7.2 innings Saturday and a season-best 8.2 vs. UNR (Feb. 27).
-Woods pitched 4.0 innings of relief for the second time this season to a favorable result, with the first instance resulting in a win against UNR (Feb. 27).
-UNLV left a season-high 14 runners on base in game two.
UP NEXT: UNLV and SDSU close out their three-game, two-day Mountain West series Sunday at Tony Gwynn Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 pm.
