Rebels can’t complete comeback, lose to Buckeyes in baseball

On a night in which Nick Ames almost tripled his batting average, the UNLV freshman first baseman visualized a Hollywood ending.

Coming to the plate in the bottom of the ninth inning with the Rebels trailing Ohio State by one run and a runner on base, Ames had his sights set on hitting a walk-off home run.

“I’ll be honest. I tried to on my first couple of swings,” he said. “Then I went back to hitting, which I did earlier in the game, and it worked out. I’ve just got to stay with my approach.”

Ames, who entered the game batting .083 (2-for-24), settled for a bloop single to center field to cap a 5-for-5 night that raised his average to .241 and put runners on first and second with no outs.

Alas, UNLV stranded the tying and winning runs on base in an 8-7 loss to the Buckeyes before an announced crowd of 736 at Wilson Stadium.

Max Smith, who walked to lead off the ninth, was forced at third base on a sacrifice bunt attempt by pinch hitter Austin Anderson that was fielded by Ohio State first baseman Troy Kuhn. Pinch hitter Corey Pool then flied out, and pinch runner Keyon Allen took third on a wild pitch before Cody Howard struck out swinging to end the seesaw affair that featured five lead changes.

“I’m just glad we fought and clawed our way back into it. We answered them a couple times,” Rebels coach Stan Stolte said. “If we execute in the ninth, we give ourselves a better chance to win, but we didn’t really run the bases well and the bunt wasn’t placed on the correct side of the field. But one play didn’t lose the game.”

UNLV (7-8) split the four-game series with Ohio State (8-6-1) and has won six of nine games after a 1-5 start.

“We’re just playing better baseball,” Stolte said. “We’re starting to show a little life offensively, and anytime we pitch, we know we’re going to have a chance.”

Starter Blaze Bohall gave up four runs on four hits and four walks in two innings before giving way to Corey Wilson, who combined with Ryan Hare to limit the Buckeyes to four runs on three hits in seven innings.

“I’m really happy with the way the bullpen pitched tonight,” Stolte said. “They kept us in it and gave us a chance.”

Ames, a 6-foot-3-inch, 245-pound left-handed hitter from Tucson, Arizona, doubled twice and drove in four runs. He drilled a three-run double down the right-field line in the first to put UNLV ahead 3-1. He singled in the third and fifth, when the the Rebels went ahead 5-4. Ames launched an RBI double to deep center in the seventh to help UNLV close the gap to 8-6 and scored to make it 8-7 on Nick Rodriguez’s RBI single.

“It was a good day. I wish we would’ve gotten the win,” Ames said. “I’ve been working with coach Higgy (Kevin Higgins) on simplifying my swing, and it paid off today.

“He’s got me on the right track. I’m feeling confident in myself.”

Stolte said it was just a matter of time before Ames broke out.

“When we recruited him, we knew he was a legitimate Division I hitter,” Stolte said. “He’s starting to make some adjustments. He’s going to be a good player for us.”

Payton Squier had two hits to raise his team-leading average to .386. He’s reached base in 13 consecutive games and has hits in 13 of 15 games. The sophomore left fielder is the only UNLV regular batting better than .300.

UNLV will need its bats in a Mountain West series starting Friday at Fresno State.

“We’re going to need everyone at Fresno,” Stolte said. “Fresno’s got the best pitching staff on the West Coast.”

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com or 702-266-6080. Follow him on Twitter: @tdewey33.