UNLV Hustlin' Rebels Split Season Opening Series With Austin Peay Governors

The UNLV Hustlin' Rebels baseball team had an up-and-down opening series this weekend against the Austin Peay Governors. After winning the first two games of the series, they ended up dropping the final two games and splitting the series, with the final games going to extra innings. Following the weekend series, UNLV head coach Stan Stolte spoke about the ups and downs of the opening weekend.

"Really hard fought series by both teams," Stolte said. "We're a work in progress on the mound and we'll have people in the right places once the conference comes around. Disappointed splitting the series but battled toe-to-toe with a very talented veteran team that won 45 games last year. I feel really good about this group, and we need to get healthy and we'll continue to get better."

On Friday, the Rebels won the season opener by a score of 7 - 3. Second baseman Marcos Rosales had a big game, going 1 - 3 with a two-RBI double in the fourth inning. He also walked twice and scored a run.

In the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday, the Rebels won their second in a row by a score of 9 - 8. Right fielder Nin Burns II had a great game in this one. He got the Rebels an early lead with a sacrifice fly in the first inning, and he came back in the seventh inning with a two-run home run, which pushed the game from 5 - 3 to 7 - 3. His final statline was 1 - 3 with three RBIs, one run, and his first home run of the season.

In the second game of the doubleheader, the Rebels lost 5 - 3. Their offense did almost nothing. The first two runs of the game weren't even RBIs. They came on a passed ball and a double play. Their only RBI came from a pinch-hit home run from Rosales. It was his only plate appearance of the game.

The final game of the series was the toughest for the Rebs. On Sunday, they lost a 13 - 12 heartbreaker in 10 innings after overcoming an 11 - 5 deficit. Rosales had another big game in this one, hitting a game-tying solo home run in the bottom of the ninth inning. He finished the game going 3 - 5 with two RBIs and three runs scored. Burns also drove in three more runs in this game, and third baseman Drew Barragan went 3 - 5 with three RBIs and two runs.

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