LAS VEGAS (UNLVrebels.com) – After several delays and rescheduled notices, the UNLV baseball team (10-7) finally were able to hit the field against Santa Clara (10-6) on Saturday night for their first of two matches over the weekend. The Rebels came out on top after an impressive performance on both the mound and the plate, winning on a final score of 5-0.
The Scarlet & Gray had several bright spots throughout the contest, the pitching staff producing some of their best work so far in the season against the Broncos.
Austin Cates (3-2) saw his fifth start of the season and threw six innings for UNLV, striking out 10 batters to earn a single-game career high during his collegiate career. The junior would only give up three hits in the 21 batters faced on the night,
Jesus Gonzalez coming in as relief for three dominant innings of his own. The right-hander caught five different batters at the plate on his way to his second save of the season, only allowing two hits in his outing. To keep his season ERA under 1.00.
Five different Rebel batters picked up at least one hit in the shutout,
JP Hefft tallying three RBIs off of two hits after the fourth inning of play. The junior would first punch a two-RBI single through the second baseman and into right-center field in the bottom of the fifth inning, later producing a second single up the middle of the field in the bottom of the seventh for another RBI.
Graduate student
Austin Kryszczuk was the only other member of the roster with multiple hits in the contest, opening the game's scoring with a solo home run to right-center field in the bottom of the fourth inning. His other hit featured a single up the middle of the field to open the bottom of the sixth, also finding his 15th walk of the season in his first trip to the plate.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- UNLV's 15 strikeouts as a team on the mound marked their highest total in a single game this season, the last time they reached that number was against Air Force during the 2022 season when they struck out 16.
- Saturday marked the third shutout of the season for the Rebels, not earning the feat during the 2023 season.
- The Scarlet & Gray's run-streak continues, scoring at least one run in the last 171 games, a stretch dating back to the 2020 season.
UP NEXT
UNLV will face off against the Broncos one more time at Earl E. Wilson Stadium before they prepare for their next series, facing off against Santa Clara on Sunday, March 18. The contest will be the series finale on a start time of 12:05 p.m. PT.
