LAS VEGAS (UNLVrebels.com) – After falling to the Bulldogs late in their Thursday-night contest just the day prior, the UNLV baseball team (13-13, 3-8 MW) faced off against Fresno State (18-8, 8-3 MW) in a rematch at Earl E. Wilson Stadium on Friday night. The Rebels wouldn't pick up the win after some quick scoring for the Bulldogs to start the night, the final result being a 14-9 score.
 
Fresno State picked up an early lead in almost déjà vu fashion, leading off with a double and then home run through left field to take a quick 2-0 lead. After picking up a pair of fly outs and a strikeout soon after, the Scarlet & Gray came in and picked up a run of their own in the bottom of the first inning. JP Hefft and Isaac Rodriguez slapped back-to-back singles to put runners on first and second, Kade Higgins walking on a seven-pitch walk to load the bases. The Rebels would score of Austin Kryszczuk's hit, pushing a ball right to the first basemen awkwardly enough to get the defense to ignore Hefft at third and score.
 
The top of the second inning is where the most damage was dealt, UNLV giving up seven runs off a string of doubles and a home run in the inning. The Rebels didn't go down swinging on the eight-run deficit, Bailey Seeger and Rylan Charles both slamming home runs on the right side of the field to close the gap to six runs on a 9-3 score. After Fresno State picked up another score in the third, the Rebels answered with a ground-rule double by Kryszczuk that pushed Kade Higgins to third, setting him up for prime position to score off of Brendan O'Sullivan's sacrifice fly in left field.
 
The Scarlet & Gray inched closer to the Bulldogs by scoring for a fourth-straight inning, Rodriguez slapping an RBI-single past the second basemen that would bring home Charles from second base. Fresno State racked up two more runs in the top of the fifth inning off of a two-run homer right over the left-field line, the game staying relatively quiet until Kryszczuk set a ball over center field on a two-out solo home run.
 
After the Bulldogs pushed a 14-6 lead, the Rebels looked to pull in a couple more runs in the bottom of the ninth before the game's conclusion. Paul Myro IV would do just that, firing a first-pitch home run through left field after Charles singled to close the gap to six runs. Alex Overbay entered the contest as a pinch hitter as well to pitch a double to the center-field all, eventually advancing to third base and scoring on two wild pitches. 
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Overbay's double in the bottom of the ninth marked the first hit of his career, the freshman earning the moment on his ninth at bat of the season.
- LJ Mercurius took the mound in the top of the sixth inning, putting in a career-high four innings of work for the Rebels.
- The Rebels have extended their run streak to 180-straight games of avoiding being shut out, dating back to the 2020 season. 

UP NEXT
UNLV will have one more shot to claim the win against Fresno State on Saturday, March 30, the two teams deciding to play with a rescheduled 11:05 a.m. PT first-pitch. You can catch all updates on all things Rebels at unlvrebels.com.