Box Score

LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - The UNLV baseball team (6-6 overall) extended its winning streak to four games behind a 5-2 victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes (6-5-1) Friday evening at Earl E. Wilson Stadium. The Rebels scored all five of their runs in the fifth inning to claim a 1-0 advantage in the four-game series against the Big Ten Conferences squad. Friday night's conditions were less than ideal with winds howling upwards of 30 mph and light rain falling periodically throughout the affair.

The Rebels had six different players register a hit in the contest, and three of those hits resulted in four of the fifth-inning runs. Nick Rodriguez led the squad with two RBI, while teammates Justin Jones and Andrew Yazdanbakhsh knocked in one each. The aforementioned trio as well as Payton Squier and Vince Taormina scored one run apiece.

D.J. Myers (1-0) picked up the win in six innings of work for UNLV. Myers allowed two runs (one earned) off of four hits. He struck out a career-high eight batters against three walks.

Larry Quaney and Ben Wright combined to toss three scoreless frames of relief. The former was touched for three hits; while the latter gave up one hit en route to his second save of the season.

"That was a good win for us against a well coached and talented team, that also had a good arm going for them," said head coach Stan Stolte. "We still have some cleaning up to do. We let the elements (wind) beat us in our own park, which we work on not happening. We've got to get tougher when things aren't easy. D.J. Myers was outstanding. He was forced to throw too many unneeded pitches. I couldn't be happier for Larry Quaney. He's got some savvy you can't teach. Ben Wright also showed some poise not letting things get away from him in the ninth after the first two guys got on base. It's going to be a dogfight all weekend. They're a good operation."

The Buckeyes threatened offensively in the first two innings, but left a runner at third in the first and the bases loaded in the second. They finally pushed one across in the third off an RBI groundout put in play by Nick Sergakis.

UNLV flipped things around in the fourth with the assistance of four hits, a walk and a fielding error. Squier began the frame with a single to left-center field and took second on a groundout. Justin Jones drove Squier home with a two-base hit that dropped into no man's land -- shallow center field -- and knotted the score at 1-all. Jones found his way to third base when OSU starter Tanner Tully (2-1) uncorked a wild pitch during Taormina's at-bat (walk).

With runners on the corners, Yazdanbakhsh laced a double down the left-field line to knock in Jones and push Taormina to third. Rodriguez followed with a two-run double to center to up the Rebel lead to three runs at 4-1. Rodriguez made his way home safely when OSU first baseman Zach Ratcliff was unable to corral a grounder by Cody Howard.

OSU capped its scoring in the fifth when Ronnie Dawson hit a two-out solo home run.

For the game, the Buckeyes left 12 runners stranded with nine of those in scoring position. In addition to the two in the first two stanzas, OSU had runners left behind at third base in the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth innings. The runners that made their way to third base in the sixth through ninth led off each frame; however, Myers, Quaney and Wright were able to come away unscathed.

UNLV and Ohio State continue their four-game series Saturday afternoon with first pitch scheduled for 2:05 pm. The Rebels will send junior right-hander Dean Kremer (0-1, 5.29 ERA) to the bump against the Buckeyes' sophomore righty Adam Niemeyer (0-1, 4.76 ERA).

NOTES: Squier extended his hitting and reached-base streaks to 10 games with his fifth-inning single ... Rodriguez extended his reached-base streak to seven ... Myers eight strikeouts surpassed his previous best of seven, which he had achieved on four occasions (twice in 2015 and twice in '16) ... UNLV improved to 6-0 when it holds its opposition to five or less runs ... UNLV upped its record to 6-4 when it scores five or less runs.