SAN DIEGO, Calif. (UNLVrebels.com) – The UNLV baseball team (14-11, 2-5 MW) kicked off their series against San Diego State (7-19, 3-4 MW) with the first of three games, falling to the Aztecs, 3-2, on Friday night at Tony Gwynn Stadium.
The Hustlin' Rebels were led by Carson Lane's seven strikeouts and Cole Koniarsky's two hits, while JP Hefft, Dean Toigo and Elijah Rodriguez each tallied a hit apiece.
HOW IT WENT DOWN
UNLV went down in order to begin the contest and San Diego State managed to scratch across a run in the bottom of the frame. After three straight two-out singles, the Aztecs responded with a bases-loaded walk by Jake Jackson. The Scarlet & Gray's offense came alive in the second, as a sacrifice fly by Jordan Myro brought in Koniarsky.
After a double by Dean Toigo and a single by Koniarsky in the fourth inning, UNLV took a 2-1 advantage thanks to a sacrifice fly from Brendan O'Sullivan, scoring Toigo from third. San Diego State came right back in the seventh, delivering a pair of clutch singles. Daniel Arambula's RBI single scored Evan Sipe to tie the game, and Nevan Noonan's single brought in Finley Bates for the go-ahead run, putting the Aztecs up 3-2.
UNLV had a few chances to mount a comeback, particularly in the eighth inning when they had the top of their lineup coming to bat, but the Aztecs' pitching held firm. SDSU closer Xander Cardenas came in to retire the side in the ninth, securing the 3-2 win for the Aztecs.
Despite strong pitching from UNLV, including a solid effort from starter Jared Marquart, the Rebels' offense was unable to generate enough late-game offense. San Diego State's defense and pitching kept them in the game, leading to the dramatic comeback.
"Tough Friday night loss, we didn't throw enough strikes coming out of the bullpen and gave them a run in the first inning," said head coach Stan Stolte. "Lane threw well, but their guy was also good and actually got better as the game went on."
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Koniarsky had a solid day at the plate, going 2-for-4 and scored a run in the fourth inning
- Myro and O'Sullivan's RBI was via a sacrifice flies
- Toigo extended his on-base streak to 20 games with his double in the fourth inning
- Lane took the loss after pitching 5.1 innings and allowing one earned run on three hits, walking three and striking out seven
UP NEXT
The Hustlin' Rebels will look to even the series, taking the field on Saturday, March 29 at 4 p.m. PT. To get updates on all things Hustlin' Rebels, links to the season's games can be found on the team's schedule page. You can also get live updates on how the Scarlet & Gray are faring on the team's X (formerly known as Twitter), Facebook and Instagram accounts.
-UNLV-
