Portland State beats up on UNLV

Thursday, March 26, 1998 | 9:53 a.m.

This was not Rod Soesbe's idea of a tune-up game.

Facing Portland State Wednesday afternoon with a crucial three-game series at Western Athletic Conference foe Texas Christian on the horizon, the UNLV baseball team was supposed to use the 7-12 Vikings for a little organized batting practice.

Instead, it was the Vikings who teed off on the Rebels, pounding out 16 hits -- including six home runs -- en route to an 18-9 nonconference rout of UNLV at Wilson Stadium.

In fairness to the Rebels, Soesbe started third baseman/pitcher Kevin Eberwein on the mound to get the Green Valley High product some innings in a game situation. UNLV has three pitchers nursing various ailments and may need the big right-hander to come of the bullpen in the final two months of the season.

Eberwein was roughed up for five runs in the first inning and six in 3 1/3 innings of work. Bill Scheffels followed Eberwein to the mound and was touched for nine runs on nine hits in four-plus innings.

Soesbe insisted he isn't worried about what effect Wednesday's game will have on the Rebels going into its series at TCU, which begins Friday.

"We're going to try not to make a big deal out of it and just get ready for (TCU)," Soesbe said. "Maybe we were looking ahead a little bit ... you don't want that to happen but maybe that's what it was.

"We were probably still not focused in to do what they needed to do. We're not playing different people and giving Eberwein a chance to pitch to take (Portland State) lightly, we're doing that to prepare ourselves for down the road with the amount of pitching we've got in case we've got to use him out of the pen."

The Rebels (22-11 overall, 5-4 in the WAC South) trail second-place Texas Christian (19-11, 6-2) by 1 1/2 games in the South region. Rice, which beat UNLV two out of three games last weekend, leads the South with a 14-1 mark.

"We're not panicking," Soesbe said after the loss. "When we get back to our starters, we're better pitching-wise. When we get out there and get after it with all we've got, we'll be all right."