UNLV downed by Irvine in Game One
Or, to be more exact, they were downed by Andrew Morales. I joined the game late and saw the score was 8-3 Irvine in the seventh inning. The first thought to enter my head was that wow, the Rebels got three runs off Morales. That's only part of the story. Morales gave up a home run in the third inning and then no more hits. He was nails. He was low in the zone with good stuff. Hard to beat that. Conversely, UNLV's John Richy was not quite himself. He had a few hit batsmen and gave up a five spot in the fifth inning when the Anteaters took control. He lasted into the eighth inning when he was removed trailing 9-3. The final score was 10-3. Just not his day. He was able to strike out 8 in 7 1/3 IP but the ‘Eaters had far too many hits at opportune times. The lone highlight was Patrick Armstrong's home run in the second inning to give the Rebels a brief 2-0 lead. Irvine tied it up in the top of the third and then that ugly 5 runs in the top of the fifth spelled the difference.
The Rebels are now in the elimination bracket and will face North Dakota State. I watched most of the North Dakota State - Oregon State game last night and it was a close one. However, Andrew Moore was simply too much pitcher for the Bison. He struck out 14 in 8 IP. And, guess what, there are more pitchers waiting in line for the Beavers. They are loaded with arms and look as good as advertised. Their Achilles heel may be the lack of hitting. With that pitching, two runs will suffice. Anyway, the Bison threw their ace I suspect so I don't know if they have the depth to compete with UNLV. The Bison won their conference tournament and not the regular season title. They may get sent packing by UNLV today.