LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – The UNLV baseball team (14-7) completed the weekend sweep of the Pacific Tigers (8-20) in convincing fashion, 10-0, Saturday at Earl E. Wilson Stadium. The Rebels'
Austin Kryszczuk led off the bottom of the first with a solo homer, which would be all the run support starting pitcher
Noah Beal (2-0) and staff would need en route to a combined shutout of the West Coast Conference squad from Stockton, California.
With the win, UNLV extended its season-best win streak to six games, following series sweeps of Fresno State (April 2-3) and Pacific (April 8-10). This current stretch is the longest since the 2018 Rebels won seven in a row from March 7-17, defeating CSUN (once), Iowa (thrice), Utah (once) and Air Force (twice).
After watching Beal set the Tigers down in order in the first, Kyrszczuk opened the home half of the inning by taking the seventh pitch he saw from Pacific starter Henrik Reinersten (1-4) deep to center field for an early 1-0 lead.
The Rebels added to their half of the scoreboard in the second, scoring five runs off five hits.
Edarian Williams,
Myles Denson and
Rylan Charles led off the frame with three consecutive singles. Following the first out of the inning,
James Gamble and Kryszczuk delivered a two-run single and an RBI double, respectively, to up the lead to four runs and force Pacific to go to the bullpen, calling on reliever Dylan Pottsgieser. UNLV managed to score two more with one off an RBI groundout by Alarcon and a wild pitch.
UNLV pushed four more runs across over the fifth, sixth and seventh innings, as Denson registered an RBI double in the fifth, while Williams (sixth) and
Alex Sardina (seventh) had RBI groundouts in the sixth and seventh. The second run of this stretch came off a wild pitch in the sixth.
Beal threw 6.0 scoreless innings with four strikeouts against four hits and one walk. He did not allow a base runner to reach third and forced Pacific to leave five runners on base over the third, fourth and fifth innings, as two were stranded at second base.
Three Rebel relievers –
Noah Mattera (seventh),
Ethan O'Neal (eighth) and Alex Tisminzky (ninth) threw one inning apiece and combined to strike out four and allow only two hits.
Reinerstein was handed the loss after allowing six runs of six hits in 1.1 innings of work, which forced Pacific to go to the bullpen early and often, using a total of seven relievers in the affair. In all, the relief crew recorded three strikeouts, but allowed four runs off eight hits and four walks.
NOTES:
-Denson extended his team-best reached base streak to 14 games, and his hit streak to 13 games Friday. Since game one of the San Diego State series on March 13, he is batting .417 (20-for-48) with six extra-base hits (three home runs and three doubles), 12 runs and eight RBI.
-UNLV had three players bat .455 or higher with a minimum of five hits this weekend, as Kryszczuk led the trio and Rebels with a .643 average with nine hits, four of which went for extra bases (three doubles and one homer) and resulted in a 1.071 slugging percentage, while adding three runs and two RBI. Denson batted .583 with seven hits – one double and one homer for a .917 slugging percentage, and added two RBI and two runs.
Jack-Thomas Wold batted .455 with five hits, three RBI and two runs.
-With 14 hits Saturday, UNLV has recorded double-figure hit totals in eight straight contests and 13 of its last 14.
UP NEXT: UNLV will stay in Las Vegas, but head approximately 14.3 miles northwest to Downtown Summerlin to face the No. 18 Arizona State Sun Devils at the Las Vegas Ballpark, home of the Triple-A West Las Vegas Aviators, Tuesday. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 pm. Tickets are sold out for the approved, limited capacity, special event.
