LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - In front of a season-high 1,115 fans, UNLV baseball wasted no time asserting control and finished the job in emphatic fashion Saturday, rolling past Utah Tech 11-1 in a seven-inning, run-rule victory capped by a walk-off home run at Earl E. Wilson Stadium.
HOW IT WENT DOWN: The Hustlin' Rebels (15-8) delivered a complete performance on both sides of the ball, piling up 11 runs on 13 hits while Parker Dillhoff went the distance throwing a complete-game one-run game where he kept Utah Tech (15-9) largely in check throughout the evening.
UNLV got on the board early thanks to
Drew Barragan, who launched his team-leading sixth home of the season to deep right field, a solo home run, in the bottom of the first inning for a 1-0 lead. The Rebels added on in the second when
Jack Salmon ripped an RBI double to left, scoring
Jonny Rodriguez to make it 2-0. A heads-up, aggressive sequence in the third extended the lead. With runners on the corners,
Nin Burns II was caught stealing, but Barragan broke for home and scored before the tag, pushing the advantage to 3-0. The Rebels continued to chip away in the fourth. Salmon and Rodriguez each singled, and
Gunnar Myro laid down a bunt single that brought in
Cooper Sheff, stretching the lead to 4-0.
The game broke open in the fifth inning. After a pair of baserunners reached, Sheff delivered the biggest swing to that point, crushing a three-run homer to deep left field to give UNLV a commanding 7-0 lead. Utah Tech finally broke through in the sixth inning, using a leadoff double and a groundout RBI to cut the deficit to 7-1, but that would be the Trailblazers' only run of the game.
UNLV quickly responded in the bottom of the seventh.
Ayden Garcia led off with a solo home run to center, and later in the inning Salmon added another RBI with a double to right center, scoring Rodriguez to make it 9-1. With the run-rule in play and two outs, Myro delivered the final blow. The junior shortstop crushed a two-run home run to deep left field, bringing home Salmon and ending the game at 11-1.
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INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
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Jonny Rodriguez paced the offense going 4-for-4 with four singles and three runs scored.
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Parker Dillhoff went the distance, going 7.0 innings where he gave up one earned run on seven hits with no walks and nine strikeouts.
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Jack Salmon went 3-for-4 with two singles, one double, two RBI and one run scored.
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Ayden Garcia belted his fifth home run of the season in the seventh inning.
-Barragan has an eight-game hitting streak, while Myro has a team-high .477 batting average.
UP NEXT: The Rebels and Trailblazers will close out the two-game nonconference series on Sunday, March 22 at 12:05 p.m.
