SANTA CLARA, Calif. (UNLVRebels.com) - The UNLV Hustlin' Rebels extended their winning streak to seven games with an 8-5 victory against the Santa Clara Broncos on Saturday afternoon at Stephen Schott Stadium.

HOW IT WENT DOWN: UNLV (9-2) wasted little time setting the tone. After a leadoff single from Marcos Rosales, a double by Drew Barragan and a walk from Nin Burns II loaded the bases, Cooper Sheff delivered the big blow. The Rebels' slugger roped a double down the right-field line, clearing the bases with a three-RBI shot that scored Rosales, Barragan and Burns II for a 3-0 advantage in the first.

Santa Clara (4-6) threatened early but couldn't break through against the Rebels' pitching staff. A double play erased a leadoff walk in the bottom of the first, and the Broncos stranded two runners in the second and one more in the third. UNLV added to its lead in the fourth, as Sheff sparked the rally again with a double to left-center, and Gunnar Myro followed later in the inning with an RBI single to center to plate Sheff and make it 4-0. The Broncos responded in the bottom half after a triple and RBI double cut the deficit to 4-1. Santa Clara capitalized on a series of wild pitches to push across two more runs and trim the margin to 4-3.

The Hustlin' Rebels answered immediately in the fifth. After Barragan singled up the middle, Ayden Garcia launched a towering two-run homer to right-center, restoring breathing room at 6-3. Santa Clara made one more push in the sixth. The bottom half of the sixth inning saw Santa Clara get a but by a pitch and a double set the table, as Ben Cleary's two-run single through the right side brought the Broncos within 6-5. With the tying run on base, UNLV turned to its bullpen in LJ Manning, where he forced the Broncos to strand three runners and preserve the slim lead.

From there, the Rebels' arms took control. The bullpen combined for three scoreless innings, highlighted by a shutdown seventh and a clean eighth that kept Santa Clara off the board despite a late walk. UNLV created separation in the ninth after Jayden Hertel came in to pinch hit for Jayden Sanchez with the bases loaded. Hertel would proceed to single through the left side of the infield allowing Barragan and Rodriguez to score, extending the lead to 8-5. Santa Clara put the tying run on deck in the bottom of the ninth after back-to-back singles, but a double play and a strikeout ended the threat and sealed the Rebels' seventh consecutive victory.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
- Sheff paced the offense with two doubles and three RBI, while Garcia's home run was the second of the young season.
-Barragan has tallied a hit in nine of the 10 games he has played, including three games of three or more hits and seven games of two or more hits.
-Barragan has a team-high 20 hits, 19 RBI, a .488 batting average, .780 slugging percentage and a 1.331 OPS. 
-UNLV and Santa Clara both notched a trio of doubles.
-Gunnar Myro made his first start since the season opener where he collected a double, single and an RBI.
-LJ Manning went 1.1 innings out of the bullpen where the lefthander struck out two Broncos and didn't allow a hit or walk.
-Jacob Gomberg was credited with his second save of the season after throwing the final two innings of the game where he allowed two hits, one walk and three strikeouts.