LUBBOCK, Texas (UNLVRebels.com) – The UNLV baseball team was unable to complete the comeback bid against the No. 2 Texas Tech Red Raiders Wednesday at Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park. The Rebels (3-10) managed to pull within two runs, 5-3, following their seventh-inning at-bat, but could not get any closer as the host Red Raiders (13-1) pushed across six more runs over the seventh and eighth to claim the second and final game of the midweek series by a 11-3 final score.
 
The Red Raiders struck first with help from a defensive miscue in the second inning before adding three more in the third off a home run from Jace Jung. The lead grew to four runs when Nate Rombach and Cal Conley produced back-to-back base hits – a single and an RBI double.
 
UNLV's offense came to life in the seventh against Texas Tech reliever Ryan Sublette, who gave up singles to Edarian Williams and Eric Bigani to open the frame. Sublette then walked Austin Kryszczuk to load the bases and Chris Dunn to bring a run home. Two more runs came across off a fielder's choice and a groundout put in play by Austin Pfeifer and Grant Robbins, respectively.
 
Texas Tech answered back in its half of the seventh with a solo homer by Jung, and added five insurance tallies off three straight run-producing hits from Brian Klein (two-run double), Cole Stillwell (RBI single) and Cody Masters (three-run homer) – in the eighth.
 
QUOTABLE: "The kids fought back to make it a 5-3 game in the seventh, but we gave up one in the bottom of the seventh and then the wheels came off in the bottom of the eighth," said head coach Stan Stolte. "We made some poor pitches in counts where we were ahead that cost us."
 
NOTES:
-With Wednesday's result, Texas Tech moved ahead of UNLV by two games, 11-9, in the all-time head-to-head series.
-TTU's Hunter Dobbins improved to 2-0 after striking out eight and holding the Rebels scoreless through 6.0 innings, whie giving up four hits.
-UNLV's Troy Balko (0-1), struck out two, but suffered the loss after allowing five runs (four earned) off eight hits and three walks in 4.2 innings.
-TTU's Brian Klein went 4-for-4 and accounted for four of the team's four runs, scoring two and knocking in two.
-TTU's Jung had four RBI and scored twice after going 2-for-5.
-Bigani had two of UNLV's eight hits, recording his team-leading seventh multiple-hit game of the year.
 
UP NEXT: UNLV returns to Las Vegas and Earl E. Wilson Stadium for five straight, beginning with its second straight visit from a Big East squad as well as a foe from the American Athletic Conference. The Rebels welcome St. John's to town for a three-game set that begins Friday (6:05 pm) and runs through Sunday, while a two-game, midweek series against Houston follows Tuesday and Wednesday.