UNLV downs Air Force, 10-1
5/21/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 21, 2003
UNLV held Air Force to five hits to defeat the Falcons, 10-1, in the first round of the Mountain West Conference Tournament, Wednesday, May 21, at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, N.M.
UNLV improves to 42-15 overall and advances to the second round to face the loser of the BYU-New Mexico game at 3 p.m. on Thursday. Air Force falls to 15-38 overall and faces the loser of the Utah-San Diego State game on Thursday at 11 a.m.
After two scoreless innings, UNLV scored two in the third, two in the fourth and three in the fifth for a 7-1 lead after five innings. Garrett Shitanishi was hit by pitch to lead off the third and Stephen Ghutzman followed with a single to right field. Shitanishi scored on an error by Falcon second baseman Adam Howes on a misplayed throw-in from the outfield. Patrick Dobson's sacrifice fly drove in Ghutzman. Peter White's two-run homer to left field gave the Rebels a 4-0 lead in the fourth.
Air Force got on the board in the top of the fifth when Howes led off the inning with a double and scored when Derck Kasel was walked with the bases loaded. The Falcons had the bases loaded with two outs, but scored just one run as the inning ended on Dan Petro's ground out.
UNLV added three runs on the fifth on four hits. Dobson and Brent Johnson singled and scored and Eddie Gill had an RBI-double in the inning. The Falcons had another chance in the seventh with runners at first and third with one out but Kasel hit into an inning-ending double play.
The Rebels scored three runs on two hits in the bottom of the eighth. Robert VanKirk doubled in the inning and then the Rebels drew three free passes on two walks and a hit batsman. Fernando Valenzuela drew a bases-loaded walk and Dobson drove in two with a double to left-center field.
Rebel freshman Matt Luca improved to 5-0 on the season. He threw five innings and gave up just one run on two hits with six walks and two strikeouts. Ben Scheinbaum picked up a save, going four scoreless innings while allowing just three hits with four strikeouts. Falcon starter Josh Zumbrun took the loss. He went four and one-third and gave up seven earned runs on 10 hits.
Howes collected two of AFA's five hits in the game. Johnson led UNLV with three hits. White and Dobson each had two hits and three RBI. Josh Phifer was on base four times in the game with one hit, two walks and a hit batter. Phifer's hit by pitch was the 46th of his career, breaking the Air Force record of 45 set by Chris Humphrey in 2000. --30--
