Rebels get little relief from pen

James Yodice

Monday, Feb. 10, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

So, six games into the college baseball season, Rod Soesbe has tucked away his first two victories as UNLV head coach, and the Rebels have their first series win of 1997. Certainly, that's something to build upon.

But what is painfully obvious is that the Rebels need help in the bullpen.

Never was it more clear than on Sunday afternoon at Earl E. Wilson Stadium, where the Rebels played eight beautiful innings against 24th-ranked Washington, taking a 9-2 lead into the ninth.

But The Sound of Music degenerated into Nightmare on Elm Street, as the Huskies relentlessly pounded away at the UNLV bullpen before finally succumbing 9-8.

Washington victimized the Rebels' pen for seven runs in the eighth and ninth innings of Friday's 12-10 UNLV win, and put up a four spot in the eighth on Saturday, the turning point in an 11-8 Huskies' victory.

Sunday, it took three UNLV pitchers to escape the ninth, and Washington had the tying run at third base when Ryan Soules grounded into a force play to end the game.

"My gosh, all I could do was stand out there and laugh," said UNLV first baseman Kevin Eberwein, one of three Rebels with three-hit games Sunday. "But a lot of these teams aren't going to battle like Washington does."

Second baseman Sean Campbell, who had three hits (including two doubles) and three RBI Sunday, summed it up best.

"A lot of people are going to overlook the fact that we played really good for eight innings."

He would be right. The starting pitching -- six strong innings from sophomore Mike Zipser, who surrendered two earned runs while walking one and striking out five -- was good. The defense, which turned a nifty 3-6-1 double play to bail Zipser out of a minor jam in the sixth, was quite tidy. Errorless, in fact. The UNLV offense, combining aggressive and daring baserunning with hits, sacrifices, stolen bases and hit-and-runs, both manufactured runs and powered them home.

Which is why Washington's ninth inning seemed like such an anomaly.

UNLV's bullpen, alas, wasn't. The earned-run average of nonstarters over the weekend was an astronomical 12.60.

"We're looking for someone to come in and shut the door," said Campbell.

So is Soesbe.

"It is a concern," said Soesbe. "Because we don't have any easy people on the schedule, you don't have a chance to experiment with anybody."

Next up is Kansas, which starts a three-game series at Wilson Stadium on Friday afternoon.

"We have a young team, but I really think we'll be one of the best teams in the nation," said Zipser. "We just have to learn how to close teams out."

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