Rebels still in the swing

Friday, May 28, 2004 | 10:42 a.m.

Normally, unless the site is Wrigley Field and the wind is blowing out toward Waveland Avenue, you wouldn't expect a team that sets a record for hits in a postseason game would go into its last at-bat even on the scoreboard.

But then, UNLV is not your ordinary baseball team.

While the hits -- a Mountain West Conference record (for a few hours anyway) 22 of 'em -- just kept on coming for the prolific Rebels in their second-round MWC tournament grudge match against New Mexico Thursday afternoon, so did the defensive lapses, mental breakdowns, baserunning blunders and missed scoring opportunities.

But those mistakes, although frequent, weren't anything that a six-run ninth inning couldn't overcome, as third-seeded UNLV broke open a 9-9 tie to knock off No. 2 New Mexico, 15-9, and remain on the winner's side of the bracket at Wilson Stadium.

The Rebels (35-22) will play top-seeded San Diego State, which shut out Utah 8-0 Thursday afternoon, at 3 p.m. today, with the winner moving on to Saturday's championship round.

"We knew we were going to hold them off and try to score six runs in the ninth," said UNLV coach Buddy Gouldsmith, his tongue planted in a place similar to where Bill Mazeroski kept his chaw of tobacco.

But even after the Rebels loaded the bases for the umpteenth time and pushed across three runs on run-scoring singles by Andrew D'Angelo and Zeke Parraz and a bases-loaded walk to MWC player of the year Eric Nielsen, UNLV still was plenty nervous.

After all, it had been just five days since New Mexico rallied from a 4-1 deficit in the bottom of the ninth to beat the Rebels 5-4, transforming them from regular-season champs into the No. 3 seed in the tournament. And it had been just seven innings since the Lobos had erupted for six runs after two were out in the second inning to take charge in this game.

But after Brent Johnson's sacrifice fly, Eddie Gill alleviated a lot of the anxiety when he turned on a low slider from New Mexico relief pitcher Petr Pacas, who hails from the Czech Republic, with the bases loaded again.

Gill's hooking drive into the right-field corner had just enough English to elude New Mexico's Chris Dabbs, who tried to make a diving catch. The stand-up double cleared the bases, giving the Rebels some much welcome breathing room.

"Finally, we get a ball to fall, something that breaks it open and gives us a little bit of a cushion," Gouldsmith said.

"I don't know how many runners we left on base (nine, which would have been more, had the Rebels not insisted on getting men thrown out at home plate) but that's been the story of our season. We just can't seem to get that big blow, the two-out, bases-loaded double that brings 'em all in."

But Gill, who has the sweetest swing this side of Tiger Woods, was more than happy to reverse the trend.

"It was getting a little frustrating, loading the bases all the time but all we were getting was one run," said the Rebels' first baseman about UNLV's failure to do more damage in the early innings. "Then we finally pushed across three and that was huge for us."

The three became four, and then six with one swing of Gill's aluminum bat.

"I hoped it would get down and it did," he said. "That six-spot was huge. It took the pressure off our pitchers and the pressure off us."

As might be expected in a game that lasted three and a half hours, there was plenty of time for heroes in the first-base dugout.

"Brent Johnson pulled up everybody in the dugout and said that this had happened too many times, and it was not going to happen again," Gouldsmith said. "He got us ready to go and said one run wasn't enough. It was nice to finally get some senior leadership from somebody besides Eric Nielsen."

New Mexico (24-28-1) collected 15 hits, as the teams combined for a MWC record 37 hits. Slick-fielding Lobos shortstop Josh Mader went 4-for-5 and drove in two runs with a towering home run to left highlighting New Mexico's six-run second.

Shoemaker, a transfer from Long Beach State, struck out five while walking just one. He lost his no-hit bid in the seventh inning when Matt Ciaramella singled to left field. Chad Corona and Josh Hill combined for five hits for San Diego State (34-27), with each clubbing a home run.

Utah starter Doug Mackay matched Shoemaker until the home fifth, when the Aztecs broke a scoreless tie on Corona's leadoff homer. His two-run double sparked SDSU's three-run sixth.

Matt Young went 3-for-4 and drove in four runs for second-seeded New Mexico (25-28-1), which snapped a seven-game MWC tournament losing streak. Josh Mader, who had four hits in a loss to UNLV in Thursday's morning game, had three more against Air Force, including a three-run home run that highlighted the Lobos' big first inning, and also drove in four.

New Mexico and Utah were to meet in a loser's-out game earlier today.