Minden product Matt Thomas pitched in relief for UNLV in its 10-3 loss against UC Irvine Friday afternoon in the opening game of the NCAA Corvallis Regional.
Thomas, a 2011 Douglas High School graduate, worked the final 1 1/3 innings for the Rebels in the game at Oregon State’s Goss Stadium. The 6-foot-4 right-hander faced six batters, allowed one run on two hits and one walk.
Irvine (36-22) scored five runs in the fifth inning to take charge of the contest.
UNLV (35-24), co-champion of the Mountain West, came into the regional as the No. 2 seed and Irvine as the No. 3 seed. Oregon State is top-seeded in the region and the NCAA tournament’s top seed overall — aided by Carson High School graduate and former UNLV standout Nate Yeskie, who is the Beavers’ pitching coach. Former Western Nevada College pitchers Philip Belding and Brandon Jackson have pitched for the Beavers this season.