ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (UNLVrebels.com) – The UNLV baseball team (9-6, 2-4 MW) faced off against New Mexico (10-6, 3-0 MW) on Sunday afternoon for the final game of their three-game set, the Lobos winning both games in the doubleheader on Saturday. With four different lead changes in the ball game, the Rebels wouldn't emerge on top in the 6-5 loss.
After a scoreless first inning by both teams,
Paul Myro IV shot a double down the third-base line on his second pitch of the at bat to reach second, crossing home plate in the next at bat through
Santino Panaro's RBI single. The one-run lead wouldn't last long though, the Lobos scoring two of their own in the bottom of the second inning.
The third inning was a busy one for the Rebels,
Chase Ditmar kicking things off with an infield single to the third baseman on a clean-hit ball. After
JP Hefft drew a walk,
Isaac Rodriguez picked up a single of his own up the middle of the field to place runners on all three bases in the diamond.
Kade Higgins would step to the plate in the one-out situation and earn a six-pitch walk, advancing the crew up one base each and driving in Ditmar to score and tie the game.
After starting pitcher
Sam Simon produced a three-up, three-down inning in the bottom of the third, the Rebels would extend their lead in the fourth inning after a Panaro single off a bunt,
Bailey Seeger's single to left and Ditmar's contact on the ball that would place runners on second and third base. Hefft stepped back up to the plate and picked up a two-pitch RBI single, scoring both runners to put their run total at four.
The game would stay quiet for a handful of innings before the Lobos would retake the lead, a three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth to put the score 5-4. The Scarlet & Gray started a rally in the top of the eighth inning to tie the game at five runs each, Rodriguez earning another RBI with a single through the left side of the diamond, scoring
Rylan Charles from third base.
New Mexico would respond with a run of their own in the bottom of the eighth, the Rebels putting pressure by adding a baserunner in
Brendan O'Sullivan's infield single to the shortstop on two outs. Seeger would bat next and push the tying run to third base, singling to right-center field to put runners on the corners. The rally would end there as the next batter would ground out to conclude the game.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Hefft's performance on Sunday would mark his second-straight three-hit game, picking up at least one hit in each of the three games against the Lobos.
- Charles' run from the bottom of the sixth marked his 10th-consecutive game crossing home plate, tallying 15 during that stretch dating back to Feb. 24.
- The Rebels have totaled at least five runs in eight of their last nine games.
UP NEXT
UNLV will spend a couple days out west in California for two midweek road games, first taking on UC Santa Barbara on Tuesday, March 12 at 4:35 p.m. PT. After that, they'll stop by Cal Poly for a second game before coming back to Las Vegas on Wednesday, March 13.
