LAS VEGAS (UNLVrebels.com) – The UNLV baseball team (13-14, 3-9 MW) took on Fresno State (19-8, 9-3 MW) on Saturday morning for the final match of their three-game set, pushing the game up even earlier to try and stay out of the bulk of the rain. The two programs pushed through the drizzle and battled it out, the Rebels falling late on a final score of 5-3.
The Bulldogs didn't pull any punches out of the gate, hitting their third-straight home run in the first inning to claim an early lead. Fresno State would eventually stack up two more runs in the third, pushing a three-run lead after the game's first couple innings.
After that third inning,
Jordan Hanson and
Matthew Maloney teamed up to combine five shutout innings in relief on the Bulldogs to keep them scoreless through eight. The duo would combine for only two hits allowed, Hanson not letting the Bulldogs pick up any and Maloney just giving up only one walk in the 11 batters he faced.
The duo's defense on the mound would allow the Rebels' offense to ignite in the bottom of the seventh inning,
Paul Myro IV leading off with a single through the third baseman and younger-brother
Gunnar Myro reaching first base for free on an eight-pitch walk to push his older brother into scoring position.
JP Hefft stepped to the plate and took a first-pitch called strike, then sent a second pitch just over the left-field foul post for a three-run home run to tie the game. With the game now tied at three runs each, Maloney would hold the Bulldogs to a scoreless eighth inning as the two teams looked to battle for the lead.
Fresno State would break the tie in the top of the ninth inning, loading the bases with only one out and picking up two runs to push the score to 5-3. The Scarlet & Gray would aim to keep the game alive with some pinch hitters in the bottom of the ninth, but were shut down by Fresno's pitching to conclude the contest.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Hefft's three-run homer marked his second long ball in the Scarlet & Gray uniform, his third game of the season with three RBIs as the team's second batter in the lineup.
- Hanson's work on the mound officially scored as his third shutout outing of the season for UNLV, his second game of the season pitching two or more innings.
- The Rebels have extended their run streak to 181-straight games of avoiding being shut out, dating back to the 2021 season.
UP NEXT
UNLV will get some extended time before their next contest, their next game being at Earl E. Wilson on Friday, April 5. That contest will kick off a three-game home series against Air Force, their first pitch against the Falcons set for 6:05 p.m. PT.
