LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – The UNLV baseball team (7-4) was on the wrong end of a 10-5 decision at Earl E. Wilson Stadium Tuesday, losing the opening game of its midweek series to the Washington State Cougars (12-4). The contest was deadlocked at 3-all through three innings of play until the visitors from the Pac-12 Conference pushed across two scores in the fourth inning en route to their five-run triumph.
The game featured a total of 15 runs and 22 hits; however, the difference in the outcome of the nonconference tilt was Washington State's ability to get runners home, while UNLV was unsuccessful throughout the affair. In all, the Cougars stranded five base runners. UNLV, on the other hand, left 14 runners on base, tying its season high. Delving deeper, the Rebels left 11 runners in scoring position – six at second base and five at third base – and had the bases loaded in the second and sixth frames.
Washington State's Jake Meyer hit a two-run home run in the fourth to snap the 3-all stalemate and put his squad in the lead for good. The Cougars upped their edge to three runs, 6-3, in the top of the fourth.
Austin Kryszczuk and
Jack-Thomas Wold pulled UNLV within one run, 6-5, after knocking in a run apiece off an RBI single and a sacrifice fly in the fifth and sixth, respectively.
The Cougars broke the game open in the seventh with four runs – two apiece – off Rebel relievers
Alex Verdugo and Larry Quaney.
UNLV was paced by
Eric Bigani and
Jack-Thomas Wold in defeat, as the former had a game-high three hits and scored once to the latter's two hits and two runs. Additionally,
Brendan Brooks and
Austin Pfeifer both had one hit, one run and two walks.
Wold opened the scoring with an RBI single in the first inning only to see the Cougars answer with three runs in the top of the second. UNLV knotted the score at 3-all in the home half of the second off a single from
James Gamble and a fielder's choice put in play from
Diego Alarcon.
NOTES:
-With Tuesday's results, UNLV and Washington State have played a total of 22 times with each squad winning 11 times. The Cougars' win snapped the Rebels' two-game win streak; however, the latter has won five of the last seven meetings.
-With a double in the seventh, Pfeifer extended his team-leading hit and reached-base streaks to seven games.
-UNLV is now 6-2 when it both scores three or more runs and when it scores first in a game.
UP NEXT: The Rebels Cougars return to Wilson Stadium Wednesday for the finale of their two-game midweek series. First pitch is scheduled for 12:05 pm.
