LAS VEGAS (UNLVrebels.com) – The UNLV baseball team (11-8) aimed to bounce back on Tuesday night with the first of their two games against Saint Mary's College (10-7) at Earl E. Wilson Stadium. The Rebels capitalized on late mistakes from the Gaels' in the bottom of the ninth inning, erasing a two-run deficit to win on a final score of 8-7.
Santino Panaro hit a career-high four hits in his five at bats on Tuesday night, accruing three RBIs as well from the seven-spot in the lineup to lead the team in both statistical categories. The junior would first knock in a run in the bottom of the third inning on a single to right-center field, then later in the bottom of the fifth with a single through the first basemen. His third and final would come through the ninth-inning stretch that would lead the Hustlin' Rebels to win.
The Scarlet & Gray featured another pair of batters with at least three hits in the contest,
JP Hefft and
Parker Schmidt each securing three safe trips to the bases before the game's conclusion. Schmidt would earn one of his hits via a double, but his single to left field in the bottom of the first inning would erase a two-run deficit that the Gaels picked up early in the contest. Hefft's slew of singles also included a stolen base, the junior grabbing his second of the season in the bottom of the fourth just before
Isaac Rodriguez slammed a hit into center field for an easy RBI.
The Rebels featured five pitchers overall in the contest,
Joey Acosta would enter the game into the top of the third inning and proceed to produce six strikeouts in his first two innings of work. Acosta would face 13 batters overall before leaving the contest, ending his outing with a career-tying seven strikeouts overall.
Down 7-5 in the bottom of the ninth inning, Hefft would lead off with an infield single towards second base. Beating out the throw on the dribbler, Rodriguez, once again, pushed him up the bases with a single of his own to center field. With runners on first and second,
Austin Kryszczuk was able to place a hard hit ball to the shortstop, who bobbled the ball to fully load the bases. Schmidt would thenlead the shortstop to a second-straight Saint Mary's ever to push Hefft across the base for a one-run game, Panaro tying the contest with a single throw the Gaels' second baseman, driving home Rodriguez. The game-winner came off of
Chase Gallegos' ball hit close to the middle of the infield, Saint Mary's originally getting Kryzczuk out at home for the second out but overthrowing the first baseman to miss the double play and allow Schmidt to cross home plate on the game-winning run.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Panaro now holds seven RBIs within the team's last four games, the most of any Rebel during that stretch.
- Hefft's hitting spree has tallied him two or more hits in all but one of the last six games, racking up three hits in three of those previously mentioned matches.
- The Scarlet & Gray have now scored at least five runs in each of the last seven games.
- UNLV's streak of scoring at least one run in a single game now moves to the last 173 games.
UP NEXT
The Rebels and Gaels will rematch on Wednesday afternoon, playing in their second and final game at Earl E. Wilson Stadium this season on March 20. The two teams will battle it out with a first pitch marked at 2:05 p.m. PT.
