LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - A game that looked firmly in hand, then suddenly in doubt, ultimately turned into an emphatic statement win for UNLV as the Hustlin' Rebels erupted late to defeat San Jose State 15-8 in game two of the series on Saturday night at Earl E. Wilson Stadium.

HOW IT WENT DOWN: San Jose State (11-15, 2-3 MW) struck quickly in the opening frame. After a double from Jake McCoy, the Spartans plated two runs on consecutive wild pitches to grab a 2-0 lead before UNLV (17-10, 2-3 MW) even came to the plate. That advantage held until the third inning, when the Rebel offense came alive in a big way. Gunnar Myro ignited the rally with a single, and Reggie Bussey followed by reaching after being hit by a pitch. Marcos Rosales delivered the breakthrough, roping a two-run double to even the score at 2-2. Drew Barragan kept the line moving with an RBI double of his own, and Cooper Sheff capped the inning with a two-run double to left, giving UNLV a 5-2 lead after a five-run outburst. The Scarlet & Gray added to its cushion in the fourth on an RBI sacrifice fly from Ayden Garcia, extending the lead to 6-2.

San Jose State chipped away in the middle innings, scoring an unearned run in the fifth and another in the sixth to close the gap to 6-4. Despite the pressure, UNLV responded in the bottom of the sixth as Garcia delivered an RBI double and Jayden Hertel followed with an RBI single, pushing the lead back to 8-4. The game took a dramatic turn in the eighth inning. The Spartans mounted a furious rally, highlighted by a two-run home run from Alex Fernandes that tied the game at 8-8 and erased UNLV's four-run advantage.

In the bottom half of the eighth, UNLV exploded for seven runs, sending 12 batters to the plate. Hertel started the rally with an RBI single before Jack Salmon drew a bases-loaded walk to bring in a run. Myro delivered a two-run single, and the Rebels continued to pile on with four more runs via bases-loaded walks from Rosales, Barragan, and Garcia to make it 15-8. On the mound, Jase Evangelista stabilized things after entering in the sixth, and Colton Sundloff closed the door in the ninth, stranding a runner and securing the victory.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
-Marcos Rosales went 2-for-3 with three RBI and has recorded double-digit hits in 10 games this season.
-Rosales is 8-for-13 in three games this week with 13 RBI and eight runs scored.
-Drew Barragan notched a stat line of 3-for-5 with two RBI, two runs scored and one walk, as the designated hitter has upped his batting average to .462 with a team-best 48 hits.
-Gunnar Myro also went 3-for-5 as the shortstop posted back-to-back three hit games.
-Ayden Garcia drove in a game tying-high three runs as the catcher went 2-for-4.
-Parker Dillhoff recorded a career-high 12 strikeouts in 5.2 innings of work giving up four hits, four runs (two earned) with four walks.
-Jase Evangelista picked up his fourth win of the season to move to 4-0 as the junior went 2.1 innings giving up seven hits on four earned runs with no walks and four strikeouts.

UP NEXT: UNLV looks to record the series sweep with the finale on Sunday, March 29 at 12:05 pm at Earl E. Wilson Stadium.