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Rebels Ground Air Force, 10-1 UNLV improves to 42-15; Air Force falls to 15-38.
May 21, 2003
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - In game one of the 2003 Mountain West Conference Championships, top-seeded and 18th-ranked UNLV got the first win of the tournament, taking a 10-1 victory over No. 6 Air Force. UNLV starting pitcher Matt Luca and reliever Ben Scheinbaum combined to five-hit the Falcons (15-38) and the Rebels (42-15) banged out 13 hits to advance to a second-round meeting with the loser of the Brigham Young University/University of New Mexico matchup, which takes place tonight at 7 p.m. Air Force awaits the loser of the San Diego State/Utah matchup, a game that begins at 3 p.m. Wednesday. Both teams played to a stalemate until the bottom of the 3rd inning, when UNLV finally lit the scoreboard with two runs. Air Force starter Josh Zumbrun hit lead off man Garett Shitanishi to begin the frame. Stephen Ghutzman followed with a double to right field, which was misplayed by Air Force right fielder Mike Rose, allowing Shitanishi to score from first and Ghutzman to go to third base. Patrick Dobson's sacrifice fly scored Ghutzman and the Rebels owned a 2-0 lead. Meanwhile, the normally potent Air Force offense was held to just one hit through four at-bats. During that span, they had one runner in scoring position, shortstop Nelson Prouty who reached second base in the 2nd inning on an error by UNLV right fielder Eric Nielsen. The Rebels added two more runs in the 4th, as Nielsen led things off with a single and Peter White powered a home run, his 10th of the season, over the left field fence for a 4-0 UNLV lead.
Air Force mounted a scoring threat in the 5th, as Adam Howes smacked a two-out double to the left center field rise and UNLV starter Matt Luca walked Rose to put runners at first and second bases. Josh Phifer also drew a walk and the Falcons had the bases juiced for cleanup batter Derck Kasel. Luca then issued his third-straight walk - sixth of the game - plating Howes for the Falcons' first run of the game. But that's where the scoring would end, as Daniel Petro hit into a routine ground ball and Brent Johnson retired Kasel at second base to end the inning.
But UNLV continued to put pressure on the Air Force defense. Patrick Dobson hit a one-out single followed by Johnson's third single of the game to give the Rebels base runners at first and second. Eddie Gill looped a double to right field to score Dobson, and Rose's relay throw to Prouty got by him to also allow Johnson to score. After a Nielsen single, White hit into a 6-3 ground out, but Gill scored from third base for a 7-1 Rebel lead. Air Force threatened again in the 7th, as Rose hit a stand-up double off of UNLV reliever Ben Scheinbaum, who replaced Luca before the 6th inning. Phifer followed with a single to the left side and the Falcons had runners on the corners with just one out. But Kasel hit into a 1-6-3 double play and Air Force was held scoreless in the frame. Air Force reliever Michael Chapados held the UNLV scoring in check for the 6th and 7th innings, allowing just one single over that stretch. But he got into a jam in the 8th, surrendering a double to Robert VanKirk and issuing a walk to Shitanishi with just one out on board. Chapados then hit Andrew D'Angelo and the bases were loaded for Fernando Valenzuela, who entered the at-bat hitting 0 for 4. Valenzuela drew a walk on four straight balls to plate VanKirk and make the score 8-1 in favor of UNLV. Dobson then hit a double to left field that scored Shitanishi and D'Angelo, as the Rebels increased their lead to 10-1 and Chapados was pulled in favor of Jason Pruitt. Pruitt then got pinch hitter Joe Wickman to hit into a double play ball, after Pruitt hit Johnson to load the bases, and the Falcons escaped the inning without further damage. But Scheinbaum pitched his fourth consecutive scoreless inning, retiring the Falcons in the 9th to ensure the Rebel win. UNLV will be back in action at 3 p.m. Wednesday afternoon in a nationally-televised broadcast (CSTV) while Air Force next sees action at 11 a.m., also on Wednesday. |
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