Rebels have chances, still lose series to TCU

Tim Chambers, having seen enough, quickly left the Wilson Stadium field and headed to the clubhouse.

About 10 minutes after watching his UNLV baseball team lose 8-4 to Texas Christian — the Rebels’ last four innings ending with three double plays and a pickoff at second base — the coach already had changed out of his uniform and into jeans and a golf shirt.

That the Rebels (17-6, 1-2 Mountain West Conference) lost the series 2-1 to the nation’s ninth-ranked team wasn’t a surprise, it was the way UNLV played that concerned Chambers.

UNLV committed eight errors in the first two games combined, and then failed to take advantage of opportunities in Sunday’s finale.

"You’ve got to be patient and try to get something you can elevate," Chambers said. "We weren’t patient at the plate at all. We kind of forced the game a little bit."

Sunday’s key moment occurred in the bottom of the sixth inning. TCU (12-7, 2-1) had committed two errors and hit a batter to allow a run that cut the Horned Frogs’ lead to 5-4.

But with the bases loaded and one out, UNLV’s Travis Feiner — who homered an inning earlier — grounded into a double play. Feiner blamed himself, saying if he had come through, "then we win."

Chambers said there was plenty of blame to go around. The coach included himself, saying he was the one responsible for Rance Roundy getting picked off second base to end the eighth.

What made this game especially maddening for Chambers was it played out much the way he hoped. He planned to go deep into his thin pitching staff to try to keep TCU’s effective bats in check.

Starter Tyler Iodence (3-1) allowed seven hits and four runs in 2 1/3 innings. Four pitchers followed, including closer Zack Hartman, who left in the ninth with shoulder pain and is expected to miss maybe a week.

The staff gave up 17 hits, and was fortunate TCU left 13 runners on base.

Chambers, however, was more upset with his offense’s execution against TCU’s three pitchers. Steven Maxwell (2-0) got the win after allowing six hits and three earned runs in five innings.

"We did some poor things offensively that we’re going to have to address next week," Chambers said.

This was a measuring-stick series for UNLV, which other than splitting with then-No. 14 Arizona, hadn’t played strong competition. TCU, led by former Rebels coach Jim Schlossnagle (2002 and 2003), was in last year’s College World Series.

Schlossnagle had UNLV moving forward before he left for TCU, and said Chambers — in his first season with the Rebels after a highly successful run at College of Southern Nevada — has the program on the right track.

"Tim being from here and being connected politically, if they let him raise money and recruit locally, you can’t lose here," Schlossnagle said. "But you’ve got to be able to fund-raise.

"They’re already good. They’re going to be (really) good fast."

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914.