ST. GEORGE, Utah (UNLVrebels.com) – After picking up two of the Mountain West's weekly awards yesterday, the UNLV baseball team (7-1) traveled out to Utah Tech (1-8) for a quick non-conference game on Tuesday. The Rebels produced their highest scoring output so far in the young season, earning the win on a 15-1 final score.
JP Hefft kicked off the scoring for the Scarlet & Gray in the first inning of the contest, picking up his first-career home run in the UNLV uniform with a two-run slam to right field. The long ball wasn't his only RBI in the contest, a smart six-pitch at bat giving him a free trip to first base while the bases were loading in the sixth inning.
Alex Pimentel had his best performance on the plate in the young season on Tuesday afternoon, picking up three hits in four at bats that translated into three RBI's overall and two runs. Pimentel would also have a six-pitch walk that drove in the Rebels' final run of the game, also securing a handful of sacrifice flies for RBIs in the top of the fifth and sixth innings.
UNLV placed 10 pitchers on the mound in the contest,
Jordan Hanson earning the first start of his career. No pitcher for the Rebels tossed more than one full inning of play, but the program featured three different arms that found two strikeouts in their outing (
Will Girardi,
LJ Mercurius,
Cole Roberts). Mercurius' outing earned him the win, being tabbed by the scorekeeper as the most impressive performance on the mound.
The Scarlet & Gray had two more batters earn multiple RBIs against Utah Tech, recent Mountain West Player of the Week
Austin Kryszczuk and
Paul Myro IV each collecting two in the game. Myro IV picked up both of his runs batted in through a single in the top of the sixth inning, jamming a ball down the left side that would bring in
Kade Higgins and Kryszczuk. The graduate student's two RBI's both came off of free trips to first base.
Other RBI hits stemmed from
Chase Ditmar and Higgins, the former's moment was in the second inning when he drove a ball up the middle to score Pimentel. The latter's score was a ball placed in left-center field for a single while the bases were loaded,
Bailey Seeger scoring easily from third base.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- The Rebels' 10 walks on Tuesday is the second time this season they've picked up double digits in the statistical category this season.
- UNLV's pitching staff tossed 10 total strikeouts in the nine-inning game, the second game in a row and third time this season they've kept 10 or more at the plate.
- The Scarlet & Gray's win streak extends to seven with Tuesday's win.
UP NEXT
UNLV will host their first Mountain West series in the upcoming weekend, facing off against San Jose State for a three-game set. The two teams will play one game each day through Friday, March 1 to Sunday, March 3, the first game set to kick off at 6:05 p.m. PT.
