LAS VEGAS (UNLVrebels.com) – Coming off the double-digit victory on Friday night, the UNLV baseball team (14-15, 4-10 MW) took the field at Earl E. Wilson Stadium again on Saturday for a rematch against the Air Force Falcons (12-17, 8-5). The teams dueled with a high-class showcase of offense, but the Falcons would stay one-beat ahead of the Rebels to split the series on a final score of 15-12.
Air Force got off to a quick three-run lead in the first, but the Scarlet & Gray responded in the bottom-half of the inning with four runs of their own. The Rebels picked up two RBI singles from
Isaac Rodriguez and
Austin Kryszczuk in right field.
Alex Pimentel would later draw a free base with the bases loaded for an unconventional RBI and
Chase Ditmar slapped a grounder hard enough to drive home
Kade Higgins.
The two programs scored for a third-straight half inning as Air Force tallied three more runs in the top of the second, UNLV pushing the streak to four-straight half-inning with three runs of their own in the bottom half. The first one came through a sacrifice fly in center field to drive home
Paul Myro IV, Higgins and Kryszczuk each hitting back-to-back RBI doubles towards the right-side of the field to maintain a one-run lead.
The Rebels would be held in the third and fourth innings of play, Air Force stringing together seven runs during that stretch for a six-run lead in the bottom of the fifth. The Scarlet & Gray's offense reignited in the inning off a single and two-straight walks,
Santino Panaro picking up an RBI through a fielder's choice to the shortstop that drove home Higgins. Him and Kryszczuk would later advance bases off a wild pitch, the latter stretching the final 90 feet through home plate. Myro IV found another hit in the game that eventually ran into the Rebels 10th run of the game on a throwing error, Panaro recognizing the opportunity to add another run.
The Falcons would tack on a 14th run in the top of the sixth, but not long after the Rebels clapped back with their own two-run shot across right-center field.
Austin Kryszczuk was the member of the Scarlet & Gray to send the long ball, closing the gap to two runs late in the bottom of the sixth inning. The offense would almost completely stop there for both teams, the offense being relatively quiet until Air Force would add an insurance run in the top of the ninth inning.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
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Paul Myro IV's three-hit game on Saturday night marked his first three-hit game of the season, pushing out three singles as the ninth batter of the lineup.
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Austin Kryszczuk's home run in the sixth inning marked his second home run in the last three games, marking number eight for the year.
- The Rebels extend their streak to 183-straight games with at least one run, dating back to the 2021 season.
UP NEXT
The two programs will face off one more time before the end of the weekend, playing on Sunday, April 7 at Earl E. Wilson Stadium. That game is set for a first-pitch of 12:05 p.m. PT as they continue their 10-game homestand.
