LAS VEGAS (UNLVrebels.com) – After kicking off the 2024 season with three victories on the road last week, the UNLV baseball team (4-1) came back to Nevada for their home opener against Bradley (1-3) on Friday. A combo of excellent pitching and hot hitting gave the squad their fourth-straight win, the final score falling in favor of the Rebels 9-3.
"Real happy with all three phases, the two pitchers who are two local guys from CSN did a great job for us tonight." commented head coach
Stan Stolte, "We had so many good at bats and some key defensive plays, it was a good all-around team win."
The Scarlet & Gray compiled 10 hits overall in the Friday-night contest, four different student-athletes each picking up two apiece. Junior
Kade Higgins slammed his eighth-career home run with the Rebels in the bottom of the fifth inning, rounding out the team's five-run inning in his two-RBI trip around the bases. Higgins also took part in the game's first score, crossing home plate from after
Austin Kryszczuk and Higgins completed back-to-back doubles in the bottom of the second.
Kryszczuk found success throughout the game at the plate, earning the stat line of three at bats, two runs, two hits, one RBI and one walk. The first basemen crossed home plate from the cleanup spot in the fourth and eighth innings, tying the game after Bradley claimed the lead off of
Paul Myro IV's double into left field.
Austin Cates found his first win with the program on the mound in Friday night's contest, pitching six innings of work. The junior did a great job holding threatening baserunners, forcing the Braves to leave runners on base in two different innings when both instances had runners in scoring position. Cates struck out four batters overall in his outing, including two within the game's first inning to retire the side in a three-up, three-down trip.
The Rebels' third baseman for the night,
Chase Ditmar, also picked up a pair of hits off of three at bats in the Friday-night showdown, tallying two RBI's to his season total in the bottom of the eighth when he drove in Myro IV and Kryszczuk.
JP Hefft added two RBI's of his own in the fifth inning, sending a ball to center field that drove in
Chase Gallegos and Ditmar and earned a rare triple without an error.
UNLV's substitutes also found strong appearances,
Jesus Gonzalez entering the game for the second time this season and pitching three innings for his first save with the Rebels. The junior struck out five Bradley batters in his strong performance, catching four batters swinging and one more looking at the plate.
Parker Schmidt excelled as the team's pinch runner at the designated hitter spot, finding a hit in both of his plate appearances that also featured a run and an RBI. Schmidt was part of the explosive scoring in the fifth inning before Higgins' homer, sending a single to center field to bring home Hefft.
The Rebels will continue their home-opening series against Bradley on Saturday, Feb. 24, facing off in a second game at 1:05 p.m. PT. First 75 fans to tomorrow's game will receive a Double-Double gift card courtesy of In-N-Out. After that, they'll face off in one final match on Sunday, Feb. 25 with a first pitch of 11:05 a.m. PT.
