UNLV-NDSU Post-Game Quotes
UNLV HEAD COACH TIM CHAMBERS
Opening statement …
“Well I was talking to Sage our SID on how many games we had lost this season when we scored two runs and we finally got one. We found a way to win, we talked about where we are at as a team right now, and we just got to score one more than them. We found a way to hold on to the lead for eight innings. Proud of our guys, no errors, mixed up lineup, our pitchers kept us in it. Mo (Morgan Scotts) ran into one, T.J. (White) got on and stole second Patty (Patrick Armstrong) got him over and we got a run there. So that’s what I have.”
On what the final innings were like…
“We like to scoreboard watch a couple of the one seeds going two and out and all we talked about last night and today is let’s make it one more day. I don’t want to go home. Its nerve racking, they hit Bonny (Bryan Bonnell) pretty good early so I was a little nervous there but he settled in and made a nice run and like I said, no errors. He pitched his tail off when he walked the guy. We decided to go to our closer Brayden (Torres). It’s nerve racking when the game is on the line every inning and there is a base runner on seven or eight of the innings I think. But anything can happen especially in the ninth, second and third, little bloop, and the ball games over. So you know, its pretty nerve racking.”
On how critical the four double plays were …
“That’s what I’m talking about. AJ (Hernandez) hasn’t played second base except once or twice all year. He was part of a 5-4-3 twice. He lollipopped one over there on a back-hand and when he came in I said ‘throw it!’ He said I got him out.” Double plays are huge. We had four of them. And I’m proud of our guys.”
UNLV LEFT FIELDERMORGAN STOTTS
On if he thought the ball he hit was a home run…
“I thought I got it pretty well, but I definitely didn’t think I got it out. He left the pitch up in the zone and I happened to run into it. The ballpark plays a little deep so once I hit it, I just started taking off.”
UNLV STARTING PITCHER BRYAN BONNELL
On if he made any adjustments after the first inning…
“I just needed to settle down. In the first inning my heart is always racing. I always want to do well and set a good tone. If that doesn’t happen I just have to come out the second inning and pound the strike zone. If I do that, I can let my defense work. Let them put the ball in play and not do too much and strike out every guy. I’m not really much of a contact pitcher. I try to just pitch to contact.”
UNLV RELIEF PITCHER BRAYDEN TORRES
On what catcher Eric Van Meetren said to him to make him crank it up in the ninth inning…
“He just said to settle down and throw strikes because that guy wasn’t going to score. And that’s what we did. That lefty (Kyle Kleinendorst) was pretty tough. Kind of couldn’t find it. Then we were back to the righties and I’m more comfortable throwing to righties.”
NDSU HEAD COACH TOD BROWN
Opening statement …
“Well it’s a tough loss, you know, getting back to the hotel last night with all the logistics. It takes a while to wind down then we’re right back at it. And then to have another 2 to 1 ball game is heartbreaking but you know at the end of the day, you start looking back at what these guys have done…these two (Tim Colwell &Wes Satzinger) plus our other four seniors. When they first came to the program when they were freshmen was the first time we ever made the conference tournament. They finished third in that summer league tournament that year. As sophomores they finished second, won forty games. As juniors they lost in the championship game, finishing second. And then this year to dog pile on the field and win the SummitLeague championship and to have the opportunity to play at a venue like this with last night’s crowd was just outstanding. And then again today we had great energy. We simply struggled to score runs and that’s all there is to it.”
On how he thought their pitching was in both their games…
“Parker Trewin is a guy who should be up here along with some other seniors on our team who had a couple good days at the plate. Parker really set the tone. He was kind of buck-shot there in the first couple of innings and was kind of 50/50 on strikes and to think that that pop fly that just carried and carried and got out was the difference in the game…you know…baseball ‘s a funny game that that was the winning run, little did we know. We had some energy right away and they kind of shut it down.”
NDSU OUTFIELDER TIM COWELL
On this team always fighting to the end…
“Yeah, absolutely. I’m really proud of the way we fought today, in both games really we never gave up, fought when we were down; it’s kind of been that way all year. We’ve been down, we’ve had tough streaks, but we always come back fighting. We couldn’t quite get a couple more runs across today, but I’m really proud of how we fought all year, especially today.”
NDSU DESIGNATED HITTER WES SATZINGER
On getting here and competing on the big stage…
“Like coach said in the opening statement, for years this team was so close, on the verge of making it. Just breaking through this year was something that I’ll cherish the rest of my life. This opportunity to take it in and be in a venue like this is just absolutely unbelievable; it makes all those six a.m. workouts worth it, all those workouts worth it. Honestly with all the ups and downs of this season this team came together at the right time and I am just really happy to be a part of guys who at times this year butted heads, but were able to form a common goal and pull for each other and come through and break through. Obviously to get here, not just get here but compete was great and I think we represented ourselves pretty well.”
