Box Score

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (UNLVRebels.com) - The UNLV baseball program (24-32) lost an elimination game, 18-8, to the San Diego State Aztecs (21-37) at the 2016 Mountain West Championship Thursday. The fifth-seeded Rebels fell behind early, but fought back to pull even with the sixth-seeded Aztecs; however, the squad from Southern California regained its edge and never relented en route to its 10-run triumph.

The Scarlet & Gray got multiple-hit games from five different players. Cody Howard paced the team with four hits in five at-bats to go along with one RBI and one run. Cooper Esmay, who led the Rebels in RBI (two), scattered three hits while Kyle Isbel, Payton Squier and A.J. VanMeetren had two apiece. Isbel, VanMeetren and Nick Rodriguez were able to score twice each.

The Aztecs got on the board first three runs off of five straight two-out hits in their first at-bat. Alan Trejo got the offensive started with a single and a quick steal of second base. Tyler Adkison (RBI double), Spencer Thornton (RBI single), David Hensley (single) and Jordan Verdon (RBI single) capped off the frame with four more hits, three of which resulted in runs.

UNLV answered back in its half of the first inning with two runs of its own. Isbel and Esmay slugged back-to-back doubles, the second was of the RBI variety. Esmay worked his way to third base and home after a single by Squier and a sac fly by Andrew Yazdanbakhsh.

In a bit of an oddity, the teams both scored a run in the second off of sacrifice flies. SDSU got its from Chase Calabuig, who plated Denz'l Chapman from third after he initially walked, while UNLV's was from Rodriguez after VanMeetren led off with a triple.

The Aztecs upped their lead to two runs, 5-3, off an RBI single from Hensley. Adkison scored on the base hit after he stole second base after he was walked to open the third.

The Rebels drew even with two runs in the fourth, and they did so with a three hits and help from two defensive miscues. With one out, VanMeetren singled deep in the hole at short and later found his way to third base when SDSU starter Brett Seeburger uncorked a wild throw to second after he fielded a grounder (fielder's choice) put in play by Rodriguez. Howard and Isbel followed with singles.

SDSU took back the momentum with a solo home run from Thornton in the fifth, as the winds picked up and blew out towards right center, and an RBI single from Wylie in the sixth.

"That's not even baseball when the wind starts blowing out like that, but it's the same for both teams and we came up on the short end of the stick both days," said head coach Stan Stolte. "As usual we battled to the end. Obviously, the eighth inning was the back breaker, and we gave them six outs. This group of seniors will be missed and I'm proud to have coached them."

The game got away from the Rebels in the eighth when the Aztecs combined eight hits and two errors for nine more runs, four of which were unearned. UNLV attempted to reengage in the bottom of the eighth, as it loaded the bases off singles from Rodriguez and Howard and got a walk to Isbel. Esmay plated one run with a sac fly while Squier and Jones later brought home one run each with base hits.

Adkison capped the game's scoring with a two-run homer to left center in the ninth.

SDSU reliever Jacob Erickson (4-6) picked up the win in three innings of scoreless relief after his predecessor, Seeburger, allowed five runs (three earned) off of eight hits. Chris Collins and Tyler Loptein combined to throw the final 2.0 innings with the former on the hook for three runs.

UNLV's Kenny Oakley (4-9) suffered the loss in his last game as a Rebel. Oakley, who struck out three, was touched for six runs off of eight hits. Corey Wilson, Ben Wright, Dean Kremer and Christian Myers also saw action for the Rebels, and the foursome combined to allow 12 runs (eight earned) off of 11 hits. NOTES: With Thursday's loss, UNLV's all-time record in the Mountain West Championship fell to 26-29 … UNLV has now gone 0-2 at four MW Championships (2000, 2009, 2011 and 2016) … Oakley, Cody Roper, VanMeetren, Wright and Yazdanbakhsh closed out their playing careers as Rebels today; four of the five saw action against SDSU while Roper pitched in Wednesday's affair with Air Force.