Rebels smack Pack

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To UNLV’s baseball team, there’s never a bad time to beat UNR. But Tuesday was an especially good time.

The Rebels were back at Wilson Stadium for a one-game respite between a four-game road losing streak and a weekend visit by Texas Christian, the two-time defending Mountain West Conference champion.

UNLV gained a 9-4 victory to end its eight-game losing streak to the in-state rival.

"This was huge, huge momentum for us to go in and feel good about ourselves and have some confidence," coach Buddy Gouldsmith said. "We executed today. We executed some bunts, we forced some mistakes, we were aggressive running the bases."

The Rebels (10-11) were competitive during their recent skid, suffering losses of 6-5 and 4-3 while going 0-3 at No. 23 Cal State Fullerton. But with TCU coming to town Friday through Sunday, UNLV didn’t want to waste an opportunity to get back on track.

"This is going to give us some good motivation to get ready for the weekend," said first baseman Xavier Scruggs, who went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs. "The weekend’s very important."

Scruggs, a junior from Poway, Calif., boosted his team-leading average to .465 (40-for-86). He also leads the team with six home runs and is second with 25 RBIs.

UNR (12-9) was coming off five straight wins, including four at home against Louisiana Tech, and had been hitting well. The Wolf Pack scored in double figures in three of the five games and entered batting .338 as a team.

UNLV ace Corey Hales (4-1) set the tone against the Wolf Pack, pitching three no-hit innings, and he was followed by five others who combined to limited UNR to six hits.

"I feel confident every time I get on the mound that I’m going to be aggressive and put pressure on the hitters," said Hales, who threw 34 pitches and trimmed his ERA to 2.17.

Hales wasn’t allowed to go longer because he pitched Thursday and needs to be rested for TCU on Friday. He usually would have limited his Tuesday work to a bullpen session.

"Knowing he was going to throw 30 to 35 pitches (in a game) was tough for him," Gouldsmith said. "We have used him in that role so far this year, but we haven’t done it in a starting fashion, and we decided today to go with something a little different."

UNLV’s batters collected 12 hits against a sloppy UNR team that committed three errors and threw four wild pitches.

The Rebels did it as a team, with five players having two hits and five knocking in runs. That collaboration helped UNLV build a 7-1 lead before UNR made its only threat with a three-run double by designated hitter Terry Walsh in the top of the eighth inning.

UNLV answered with two runs in the bottom half. Scruggs singled in a run and scored on a wild pitch.

"Our hitting has to come through for us," Scruggs said. "With our pitching, we know if we put up runs, then we’ll win games."

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