RENO, Nev. (UNLVRebels.com) – The UNLV baseball team was put in an unenviable position with Friday's 11-1 loss in seven innings to the top-seeded and No. 23 Fresno State Bulldogs at the Mountain West Championship. With the defeat, the Rebels (No. 3 seed) must win twice Saturday to force a winner-take-all title game Sunday afternoon at Peccole Park.
 
The Scarlet & Gray (28-28) will face UNR (No. 4) Saturday at 2:00 pm in an elimination game, with the winner advancing to play top-seeded Fresno State (37-14-1) at 6:30 pm. UNR staved off elimination Friday afternoon by defeating San Diego State (No. 2), 6-4, in come-from-behind fashion.
 
The Rebels were facing the Bulldogs for the fourth time in nine days Friday, and were still unable to solve the Golden State squad on either side of the ball. Fresno State managed to stake itself to an early lead and build upon it, while starting pitcher Davis Moore (9-1) stymied UNLV's offense en route to the run-rule decision.  
 
The Bulldogs pushed out to a 3-0 lead after the second inning off back-to-back extra-base hits from Nate Thimjon (RBI double) and Zach Presno (two-run home run). The edge was upped to five, 5-0, off RBI singles from Thimjon and Jeff Jamison in the fourth.
 
The Rebels were able to push across a run in the top of the seventh when Dillon Johnson, who had led off with a walk, scored from third base off a groundout by Max Smith. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs were able to get that run back and then some with assistance from a grand slam from McCarthy Tatun and RBI singles from Emilio Nogales and Thimjon.
 
REBEL OF THE GAME: Jack-Thomas Wold, UNLV's designated hitter, went 2-for-3 in the game with two singles, the second of which aided in the seventh-inning scoring opportunity.
 
STAT OF THE GAME: Moore and the Bulldog defense limited the Rebels to only six baserunners in the contest with one scoring, two left on base and three put out by a pair of double plays and one fielder's choice. Fresno State, on the other hand, managed to get 16 runners on base, with 11 scoring, four stranded and one put out by a double play.
 
QUOTABLE: "It was a well-pitched game until the wheels came off in the seventh," said head coach Stan Stolte. "They are a very explosive team once they get going and they used the long ball again tonight. We haven't been able to keep the ball in front of the outfielders from a pitching standpoint."
 
SILVER STATE SHOWDOWN: Saturday's meeting between the Rebels and Wolf Pack not only decides the tournament fate of the teams, but it also settles the awardee of the three points associated with the sport in the Silver State Series standings with each side winning three times in 2019. To date, UNLV leads the all-encompassing head-to-head athletic and academic competition, which is presented by IBEW and Nevada Donor Network, by 15 points (28.5 to 13.5) with only six points from baseball and the NCAA APR left to be decided.
 
With the addition of the victory from the 2018-19 campaign, the Scarlet & Gray has claimed six wins in the Series (2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2017-18) and tied once (2016-17).
 
REBEL NOTES:
- UNLV's Cameron Jabara (2-7) suffered the loss in 6.1 innings of work, striking out four against nine runs off of nine hits and four walks.
- UNLV's Conner Woods entered in the seventh and allowed two runs off of three hits.
- FS's Moore earned the win in 7.0 innings, striking out six against one run off of three hits and two walks.
- FS's Thimjon was 3-for-4 with three RBI and two runs.
- UNLV is 1-2 all-time – with two straight losses – vs. Fresno State in the MW Tournament, and 40-58 overall against the Bulldogs dating back to 1977.
- UNLV is 6-13 all-time in its second game of the MW Tournament.
- UNLV is 8-15 all-time in elimination games in the MW Tournament.
- UNLV is 14-16 versus conference competition and 14-12 against nonconference foes.
- UNLV is 19-12 in home games, 8-15 in road games and 1-1 in neutral games this season.
- UNLV is 15-16 in day games, and sits 13-12 in night games.
- UNLV is 9-13 in games separated by five or more runs.
- UNLV is 0-5 when its limited to one or fewer runs
- UNLV is 1-11 when it allows an opponent to score 10 or more runs.
- UNLV is 5-19 when it is outhit by an opponent.