Box Score | Ceremonial First Pitch Photo Gallery

LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - The UNLV baseball team's 50th home opener was spoiled by a three-run, ninth inning by the West Virginia Mountaineers (3-1) Friday night at Earl E. Wilson Stadium. The visitors from Morgantown staked themselves to an early five-run cushion, 6-1, through two innings of play before its offense went dormant and UNLV's awoke. The Rebels (1-3) fought back and knotted the score at 6-all with help from three runs in the fifth and two more in the eighth. Unfortunately, the Mountaineers regained the momentum for a three-run ninth en route to a 9-6 victory.

Moments after UNLV scored its pair of runs in its half of the eight, WVU countered with its trio in the ninth. Blaze Bohall (1-1) was summoned from the bullpen for the Rebels and wound up walking KC Huth, the first batter he faced. Huth made his way around the bases and scored the would-be game-winning run with help from an errant pick-off throw, a wild pitch and a one-out single by Jimmy Galusky. Bohall managed to get the fourth batter he faced to pop out, but the fifth, Darius Hill, took the ninth pitch of his at-bat over the fence in right for a two-run home run.

The Scarlet & Gray fought to get back into the game in the fifth when it strung together four straight, two-out hits. Nick Rodriguez started the offensive with a single before Justin Jones and Kyle Isbel scattered back-to-back RBI doubles. Payton Squier capped the outburst with an RBI single that pulled the Rebels within two at 6-4.

Three innings later, Squier was the catalyst for the Rebels' two-run eighth. He got things going with a one-out single before a 2-2 offering from WVU starter Chad Donato plunked Cooper Esmay. The Mountaineers went to the bullpen after the HBP and brought in Brandon Boone, who was rudely greeted by a double down the left-field line by Andrew Yazdanbakhsh. Squier scored with ease on the two-base hit, while Esmay was able to come home when Kyle Gray mishandled the ball short of the warning track.

"I thought we battled hard after spotting them six," said head coach Stan Stolte. "We just have to continue to eliminate making unintelligent baseball mistakes, especially against a sound team like West Virginia. We had some much better at-bats against a very good pitcher later in the game. I saw some good things that I hope we can build off."

Boone went a bit erratic after Yazdanbakhsh's double and hit A.J. VanMeetren with a pitch and then walked Cody Howard. WVU was forced to make another call to the bullpen and brought in Conner Dotson (1-0), who immediately got some help from his second baseman, Cole Austin, for the third out of the frame. Dotson got Nick Rodriguez to hit a grounder up the middle that forced Austin to field the ball going towards second base, and in the process step on the bag before prior to Howard making contact with it.

Dotson remained in the game and picked up the win in a total of 1.1 innings of work. He was touched for only one hit.

The contest did not begin well for UNLV starter D.J. Myers, who was roughed up for six runs (five earned) in the first two innings on the mound. Myers surrendered a leadoff home run to WVU's Kyle Davis to start the affair. Darius Hill and Cole Austin added to the early offensive with a single and a two-run homer, respectively. Myers was able to settle down and strike out the next three that stepped up to the plate.

In the second, WVU plated three more off a two-run triple by Hill and a fielding error on a ball put in play by Austin.

In between the Mountaineers' first and second efforts, UNLV go the board when Kyle Isbel took home while Squier was caught attempting to steal second base.

Myers wound up throwing six innings with all six runs scored over the first two frames of work. He tied his UNLV career high in strikeouts with seven, despite allowing six hits and one walk.

Cody Roper relieved Myers and pitched the seventh and eighth for the Rebels. Roper struck out two against one hit and one walk.

Bohall was stuck with the loss in one inning of work. He surrendered three runs off of two hits.

WVU's Donato went 7.2 innings and struck out 10; however, the Rebels were able to score six (five earned) off of 10 hits.

The Rebels and Mountaineers return to Earl E. Wilson Stadium Saturday for a 2:00 pm contest. UNLV will start Dean Kremer (0-0, 0.00 ERA) against WVU's Ross Vance (1-0, 0.00 ERA).

NOTES: Squier had four hits (all singles) in the game to tie his career high; previously achieved against Air Force (April 24) ... Before the game, UNLV had five alumni of the program throw out ceremonial first pitches ... Each member represented one of the five decades of Rebel baseball with Fred Dallimore (1967-1976), Steve Moser (1977-1986), Rod Soesbe (1987-1996), Eric Nielsen (1997-2006) and T.J. White (2007-2016) on hand.