UNLV sweeps Villanova

Monday, Feb. 24, 2003 | 8:50 a.m.

UNLV coach Jim Schlossnagle summed up his team's resounding weekend sweep of Villanova well after the Rebels' 14-0 victory Sunday at Earl E. Wilson Stadium.

"You can't work on fly-ball communication very well in a gym," Schlossnagle said of the Wildcats. "That hurts those teams in the North and East."

Villanova (0-3) is located in Philadelphia, which, like most of the northeast, has been inundated by inclimate weather in recent weeks. UNLV (9-3) pounded the 'Cats, 54-11, in the three games.

It took 72 games, but Sunday also marked the first shutout for the Rebels under Schlossnagle, a fact not taken lightly by the man who was the architect of eight ace pitching staffs at Tulane.

David Seccombe, a junior from Cimarron-Memorial High who improved to 3-0, threw into the seventh inning and had a stretch in which he didn't allow a hit to 16 consecutive batters.

Schlossnagle turned to four relievers, and Ben Scheinbaum got the key out to preserve the shutout. With one out in the seventh, he walked Freddie Thon, his first batter, to load the bases. Then Brian Trotta hit into a 6-4-3 double play.

"I think it's huge, especially for David Seccombe," Schlossnagle said. "We also had a team earned-run average of 7.5 (actually 7.44), so we had to pitch better."

The team effort Sunday shaved UNLV's ERA to 6.81. When the team reconvenes for practice Tuesday, the pitchers will relish taking batting practice, a Schlossnagle rule whenever the pitchers allow three runs or fewer.

"It's awesome," Seccombe said. "Guys who we usually shag (in the field) for will be shagging for us. It's a lot of fun."

Seccombe started the day with a 7.71 ERA. He relies on a savvy breaking ball, but hadn't been spotting his fastball well. Schlossnagle worked with him on that all week, and Seccombe chopped his ERA to 5.06 by handcuffing the Wildcats.

"I was just trying to keep the ball down and let the defense work," Seccombe said. "It was just a good weekend in which we played the game well."

Sophomore right field Eric Nielsen continues to smoke the ball, too. He went 3-for-5 to boost his batting average to .515 and increase his hitting streak to 10 games. Last season he had a pair of nine-game hitting streaks.

"It's like Kobe (Bryant, of the Los Angeles Lakers) has been saying, 'It is what it is.' I can't explain it," said Nielsen, MVP of Silverado's 2000 state championship team. "I'm just boogie-whippin' it. I'm seein' it well, and I'm gettin' in hitter's counts where I'm able to drive the ball."

In the eighth, the Rebels scored eight runs and didn't make an out until the second go-around in their batting order. Villanova coach Joe Godri turned to his bullpen three times, as three Rebels were hit by pitches and two others walked.

UNLV next plays a weekend series at Nevada-Reno. The Rebels last played there two years ago, and lost 10-9.

"We have to carry this over," Nielsen said. "I think we'll be just fine in Reno. They'll have a big crowd and it will be cold, but what I've found out is that (UNLV) will not lose a game. They only way we'll lose is if we beat ourselves."