Box Score

LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - The UNLV baseball team (2-6 overall, 1-1 Mountain West) pushed out to an early five-run lead, 6-1, through four innings only to see the San Jose State Spartans (5-7, 1-1) overcome the deficit for an 11-6 triumph at Earl E. Wilson Stadium Saturday. The loss squandered a pair of three-hit performances by Kyle Isbel and Justin Jones, while Corey Pool led the squad with three RBI â€" all off a third-inning home run.

Each team has now won once in the Conference-opening series, which sets up a rubber match Sunday that is scheduled for 1:05 pm. SJSU has listed right-hander Matt Brown (1-0, 3.48 ERA) as its starter, while UNLV will send righty Kenny Oakley (0-2, 7.88 ERA) to the mound.

UNLV got the scoring started in the home half of the third with the assistance of two walks, a single, a home run and the addition of a balk and a wild pitch. Nick Rodriguez, who hit the game-winning home run in Friday's 2-1 win, led off with a walk. Isbel followed with a bloop single to shallow left field. With Cooper Esmay at the plate, SJSU starter Logan Handzlik was called for a balk prior to he uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Rodiguez to score from third. Handzlik eventually retired Esmay; however, he walked Payton Squier and then surrendered the dinger to Pool that capped a four-run outburst.

SJSU was able to slice a run off of its deficit in the fourth with help of an RBI triple from David Campbell, but the Rebels countered with a two-run single by Jones that knocked in Esmay and Squier, who had both reached via singles.

Unfortunately, Jones' hit was the last of any consequence the remainder of the affair, as the Spartans' relievers only allowed three more base knocks between the fifth and ninth innings.

The Bay Area squad's offense awoke in the fifth against UNLV's Dean Kremer. With one out, SJSU strung together four at-bats that pulled it within two at 6-4. Hunter Tidwell started the comeback with a single before he moseyed to second when teammate Dillon Smith was plunked by an 0-1 offering. Aaron Pleschner and Joe Stefanki followed with back-to-back at-bats that produced runs with the former hitting a two-run triple to left-center field, while the latter's grounder brought another home.

The game's momentum swayed to the third-base dugout when the Spartans produced five runs off of five hits and the help of a throwing error. The first tally scored on a three-base throwing error. Pleschner and Josh Nashed, SJSU's Friday night starter, added on RBI apiece, while Shane Timmons' single to center brought in two more.

SJSU upped its lead to five in the eighth when Stefanki knocked in two insurance runs with a single. The hit was the fourth for Stefanki on the day, while his RBI total was three â€" the same as Pleschner's.

"First of all, I tip my hat to San Jose State," said head coach Stan Stolte. "The kicked out butt in the last five innings and they deserved the "W." I'm just really disappointed in our overall toughness and baseball smarts. We hand pitchers easy outs, who are clearly struggling, with bad base running; our outfielders aren't cutting balls off in the gaps or backing us up properly, our hitters aren't executing situations and our pitchers become predictable when they can only command one pitch. So, it was a total team meltdown. We will show up tomorrow with the attitude of correcting those mistakes."

Hilario Tovar (1-2) picked up the win in 4.1 innings of relief for the Spartans. Tovar gave up two runs off of five hits to go along with two strikeouts and two walks. He relieved Handzlik, who went 3.0 innings and was roughed up for four runs off of six hits. Handzlik also struck out two and walked two.

SJSU's Zach Wallace and Josh Goldberg combined to toss the final 1.2 innings, and the duo allowed only one hit and one walk against two strikeouts.

Kremer made his second start of the young season and went six innings. He was touched for six runs (five earned) off of seven hits. He struck out four, but walked one.

Blaze Bohall (1-2) was saddled with the loss after SJSU was able to notch five runs in three stanzas. The Spartans scattered six hits against Bohall.

NOTES: Squier extended his season-best hitting and reached-base streaks to six games with the help of two hits and a walk Saturday.