LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – For the third straight game, the UNLV Rebels fell behind the Fresno State Bulldogs after the visitors' first-inning at-bat and were never able to recover from the early deficit in the Mountain West affair. The Bulldogs used a three-run, home run for the second straight contest to stake themselves to an early lead that they would maintain en route to a 11-4 decision in Saturday's regular-season finale at Earl E. Wilson Stadium.
 
The victory solidified Fresno State's stance at the top of the MW standings at 20-8-1, while its overall mark improved to 35-14-1. UNLV, on the other hand, ended the regular season at 14-16 and in third place in the conference, and 27-27 overall on the year.
 
The Rebel offense was paced by two-hit efforts from Grant Robbins, Vince Taormina and Edarian Williams, as the squad scattered 11 hits. Robbins added one RBI and one run, while Williams and Wold also added RBI, and Taormina, James Gamble and Max Smith were able to score one run apiece.
 
The Scarlet & Gray trailed by seven runs before it was able to push across two in the fourth off an RBI double by Robbins and a wild pitch. Unfortunately, that was as close as the Rebels would get, as the Bulldogs scored four in the top of the seventh, while UNLV countered with two in the home half of the frame off a bases-loaded walk to Wold and an RBI single from Williams.
 
The Bulldogs took their early lead Saturday off a three-run shot from McCarthy Tatum, while three more runs followed in the second off a fielder's choice, an RBI single and a two-run double. The visitors from San Joaquin Valley were held off the scoreboard in all but one of the final stanzas of the contest, as they were able to score off three singles in the seventh.
 
REBEL OF THE GAME: Robbins was involved in two of UNLV's four runs, as the leftfielder knocked in the squad's first tally with an RBI double in the fourth and later scored one run in the seventh.
 
STAT OF THE GAME: The Bulldogs hit .400 (6-for-15) with runners in scoring position, while the Rebels were .286 (2-for-7). Delving deeper, FS was 3-for-4 (.750) with runners on third base with less than two out; however, UNLV did not have one opportunity.
 
QUOTABLE: "In the big picture, I'm happy that we got rewarded for our hard work since the first day of fall," said head coach Stan Stolte. "I am disappointed in the weekend; getting steamrolled by a team, right now, that could compete with anyone in the country, and we need to be better than that."
 
CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP UPDATE: With help from San Jose State's loss to Air Force Saturday in Colorado Springs, UNLV earned the fourth and final berth into next week's Mountain West Championship in Reno. The Rebels will go into the four-team, double-elimination tournament as the No. 3 seed and will face No. 2 San Diego State Thursday afternoon at 2:00 pm. Fresno State will enter the tourney as the top seed, and will play host and No. 4 seed UNR Thursday evening at 6:30 pm at Peccole Park.
 
SENIOR SEND-OFF: Prior to Saturday's regular-season, home finale, the Rebel baseball program recognized its seven outgoing seniors: Jackson Cofer, Dillon Johnson, Donavon McCrystal, Seth Mullis, Paul Richy, Max Smith and Vince Taormina. The first four – Cofer, Johnson, McCrystal and Mullis – transferred into the program and played one to two years, while Richy, Smith and Taormina were four-year members that came in as freshmen in 2016.
 
REBEL NOTES:
- Fresno State's Nikoh Mitchell (3-4) picked up the win in 5.0 innings of work, striking out six against two runs off of six hits and no walks.
- Fresno State's bullpen combined to throw the final 4.0 frames, and struck out five against two runs, five hits and two walks.
- UNLV's Chase Maddux (3-6) suffered the loss in 2.1 innings of work, allowing seven runs off seven hits and one walk.
- UNLV's bullpen threw 6.0 scoreless frame with four strikeouts against three hits and one walk; however, a pair of errors and one passed ball while Jackson Cofer was on the mound allowed four runs to score.
- UNLV is 14-16 versus conference competition and 13-11 against nonconference foes.
- UNLV is 19-12 in home games and 8-15 in road games this season.
- UNLV sits 14-16 in day games, and sits 13-11 in night games.
- UNLV sits 8-12 in games separated by five or more runs.
- UNLV sits 8-22 in games it scores five or fewer runs.
- UNLV sits 1-10 when it allowed 10 or more runs.
- UNLV sits 5-18 when it is outhit by an opponent.
 
UP NEXT: UNLV will make its second trip to the northern portion of the Silver State and Peccole Park; however, this journey is for the MW Championship. The Rebels will face San Diego State Thursday afternoon at 2:00 pm.