Las Vegas, Nev. - A dream start quickly turned into a nightmare for the Tigers as UNLV (4-2) rallied late to take a 10-4 win over Pacific (0-6) on Saturday, Feb. 21. Senior Michael Hager (0-1) was handed the hard to swallow loss as he came into the contest in relief in the sixth inning and was tagged for six runs, none of which should have crossed the plate for the Rebels.

Nine late runs scored by the Rebels ruined what began as a near perfect day for the Tigers as UNLV took advantage of a handful of defensive miscues by Pacific to steal the contest. For 5.1 innings, junior ace Jake Jenkins could not be touched as Jenkins retired 16-straight Rebel hitters after beginning the game with back-to-back walks. Without a run on the board and a lead at his back, Jenkins appeared as if he was in for another classic pitching performance, only to see all his work come crashing down in the blink of an eye in the bottom of the sixth inning. Starting with an innocuous single to third that broke up the thoughts of a no-hitter, the Rebels mounted a game-tying and game-shifting rally against Jenkins, culminating in a two-RBI double down the left field line by Erik VanMeetren. The double knocked Jenkins from the contest as he gave way to Hager from the pen. Hager would get the final out of the inning to strand the go-ahead run at third, but the damage was done and the floodgates were already cracked. Jenkins officially went 5.2 IP, while giving up just two hits and four runs, three earned, while striking out four and walking three.

Knotted at four a piece, the Rebels took their first lead of the game in the bottom of the seventh when an error by the Tigers turned a routine single with a runner on into the go-ahead run. An inning later, the flood gates opened as the Rebels scored five runs off of Hager, all of which could have been prevented as Pacific was tagged for a third-error with two more dropped fly balls being scored hits.

The damage late in the game came after the Tigers had taken control of the contest early with three runs in the first and a single run in the sixth. Rallying with two outs in the opening frame, Pacific was able to get to the Rebels' starter, Kenny Oakley, who lost command of the strike zone to pitch his way into trouble. After junior J.J. Wagner singled, the Tigers loaded the bases with a walk and a hit batter setting up the scoring chance. An errant pitch would strike junior J.P. Yakel on the next at bat as he earned a free RBI for taking one for the team. One pitch later the Tigers put two more on the board when sophomore Danny Mayer laced a first-pitch fastball back up the middle to score a pair.

In the sixth, Pacific got a big hit out of freshman Jed Sprague as the young designated hitter tattooed a mistake over the plate over the left field wall for his first collegiate home run and the Tigers' first round-tripper of the season. Despite the positives, the Tigers still struggled to drive runners in when needed early as they had their chances to blow the game wide open, but finished the contest 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position.

The Rebels' Christian Myers (1-0) grabbed the win in relief as he went 1.0 IP and gave up one hit, but got the Tigers' to hit into a rally-killing double play as well.

Pacific will look to rebound on Sunday, Feb. 22 when they take on the Rebels for game three of the four-game series at Earl E. Wilson Stadium. Game time is scheduled for 1:00 pm.