LAS VEGAS (UNLVrebels.com) – The UNLV baseball team (25-21, 11-15 MW) faced off in game two of their three-game set against New Mexico (24-21, 13-10) on Saturday night, the Rebels looking to claim revenge after falling the day prior. After a back-and-forth battle in the front half of the contest, the Scarlet & Gray's offense would erupt in the second half to win on a final score of 13-8.
Bailey Seeger finished the contest as one of the Rebels' top hitters, the senior knocking home four of the team's runs off two hits. After his RBI single in the bottom of the second inning to claim a 3-2 lead, the catcher would blast a homer past left-center field in the bottom of the fifth inning to extend the Rebels' lead to four runs. The long ball marked three RBI in total for the Scarlet & Gray that included
Alex Pimentel,
Parker Schmidt and himself.
Three more Hustlin' Rebels ended the contest with a pair of RBI to their statline, Pimentel knocking one of his in home-run fashion with a ball that exited stage right.
Parker Schmidt finished the game with the most hits out of any member of the order with three, picking up two RBI from back-to-back innings in an RBI double in the fifth and an RBI single in the sixth.
Kade Higgins marked a perfect day at the plate with two hits on two official at bats, also being credited with three free trips to first base in two walks and a hit-by-pitch.
Freshman
LJ Mercurius found success on the mound in the contest as the Rebels' starter, picking up another four-inning start to this collegiate resume. He'd pick up four strikeouts on the day, including two in the first inning of the contest. After
Joey Acosta entered as relief for 2.1 innings of work,
Matthew Maloney would close for the Rebels on a 2.2 outing that didn't allow a single run during his stretch on the rubber.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Schmidt's three hits have now pushed his batting average during the 2024 season to a team-leading .372 mark, earning at least one hit in 10 of the team's last 11 games.
- Higgins' perfect day at the plate on Saturday was his first team earning a hit in all at bats during a single game this season.
- Acosta's win against New Mexico marked his third victory of the season for the Rebels, the senior picking up a season-high after the team's win.
- UNLV's run streak now hits the 200-mark, avoiding the shutout in the last 200 games played that dates back to the 2021 season.
UP NEXT
The Hustlin' Rebels will celebrate their nine seniors on roster this season with their final home game at The Earl this regular season, competing on Sunday, May 5 at 12:05 p.m. PT. The team will kick off their Senior Day celebrations prior to the contest with a start time of 11:40 a.m. PT.
