UNLV roundup: Baseball team blanks Iowa

Dillon Johnson went 2-for-4 with a two-run double to back strong pitching from Alan Strong and lead UNLV to a 4-0 win over Iowa in a nonconference baseball game Friday at Wilson Stadium.

Strong (3-0) blanked the Hawkeyes (8-3) on four hits and four walks and struck out seven in 5 1/3 innings. Four Rebels relievers combined to give up two hits and one walk over 3 2/3 innings.

Bryson Stott went 2-for-4 and scored three runs, and Max Smith had two doubles for UNLV (13-2), which had an 8-6 edge in hits.

Austin Guzzo went 2-for-3 for Iowa.

SOFTBALL

At Eller Media Stadium, freshman Samantha Diaz hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning to back Janine Petmecky, who pitched a complete game, leading the Rebels to a 2-1 win over DePaul in the Rebel Classic.

In UNLV’s second game, freshman Gabbie Plain pitched a three-hit shutout with 13 strikeouts to lead No. 1-ranked Washington to an 8-0 victory over the Rebels.

Petmecky (9-1) worked around eight hits and two walks to defeat the Blue Demons (16-6). She struck out three. The lone run she permitted came on a bases-loaded walk to Haydn Christensen in the sixth.

Missy Zoch held UNLV (15-7) to two runs on four hits and one walk and struck out four in six innings.

Plain, from Sydney, Australia, issued two walks in her 13-strikeout masterpiece.

Kelly Burdick went 3-for-3 and scored twice, Amirah Milloy went 2-for-4 with a double and drove in two runs, Kirstyn Thomas went 2-for-4 with three RBIs, and Taryn Atlee went 2-for-3 with a double for the Huskies (25-0), who held a 13-3 edge in hits.

MEN’S GOLF

At Boulder City, senior Shintaro Ban and freshman Jack Trent are tied for third at 5-under-par 139 after two rounds, helping put the Rebels in third place in the 15-team Jackrabbit Invitational at Boulder Creek Golf Club.

UNR is atop the leaderboard at 14-under 562, four strokes better than UNLV and two better than second-place UCLA. UC Santa Barbara is fourth, eight shots behind the Rebels.

UNR’s Grant Booth leads individually by one stroke at 9-under 135 in the 88-player field.

For UNLV, freshman Garrick Higgo is tied for 10th at 1-under 143, sophomore Justin Kim is tied for 16th at 1-over 145, and junior Harry Hall is tied for 27th at 3-over 147.

Two Rebels are competing as individuals: Freshman J.J. Gresco is tied for 14th at even-par 144, and sophomore Justin Chong is tied for 39th at 6-over 150.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Freshman Brandon McCoy was named one of five finalists for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, given to the nation’s top center.

The other finalists are seniors: Seton Hall’s Angel Delgado, Purdue’s Isaac Haas, Saint Mary’s Jock Landale and UCLA’s Thomas Welsh.

The winner will be determined by a combination of fan votes and input from the Basketball Hall of Fame’s selection committee and will be honored at ESPN’s College Basketball Awards in Los Angeles on April 6.

A two-time Mountain West player of the week, McCoy set the league’s freshman record for points per game (16.9) and rebounds per game (10.3). He recorded a league-leading 18 double-doubles, which ranks ninth in the country and third among freshmen.

MEN’S TENNIS

At Fertitta Tennis Complex, Alexandr Cozbinov and Eric Samuelsson each won in singles and were part of a doubles victory for the Rebels in their 4-3 loss to No. 35-ranked Utah.

Cozbinov won at No. 1 singles and teamed with Courtney Lock for a 6-4 victory at No. 1 doubles.

Samuelsson won at No. 4 singles and teamed with Clayton Alenik for a 6-4 triumph at No. 2 doubles.

Dan Little won at No. 2 singles and was part of a No. 3 doubles win for the Utes (16-2), who halted a three-match win streak by UNLV (7-5).

TRACK AND FIELD

At College Station, Texas, freshman Avi’Tal Perteete placed 15th out of 16 competitors in the 800-meter run, finishing in 2 minutes, 10.07 seconds, in the preliminaries of the NCAA Indoor Championships.