ST. GEORGE, Utah (UNLVRebels.com) - UNLV baseball built an early cushion and weathered a late rally from Utah Tech to secure an 8-6 victory on Tuesday evening at Bruce Hurst Field.
HOW IT WENT DOWN: After a quiet first two innings, the Rebels (22-15) broke through in the third. A one-out single from Gunnar Myro set the table before Marcos Rosales roped a double into right center to put two runners in scoring position. With two outs, Drew Barragan was intentionally walked to load the bases, and UNLV capitalized. A bases-loaded walk to Ayden Garcia plated the game's first run, and Nin Burns II followed with a clutch two-run single up the middle to give the Rebels a 3–0 lead.
UNLV kept the pressure on in the fourth inning, taking advantage of a Utah Tech (22-14) error to extend its lead. Jack Salmon opened the frame with a double, and after a walk and a fielding miscue, the Rebels pushed across three more runs. RBI singles from Rosales and Jonny Rodriguez helped stretch the advantage to 6–0. Utah Tech responded in the bottom half of the fourth with a run on a groundout, but the Rebels maintained control until the sixth inning. The Trailblazers strung together five hits in the frame, highlighted by back-to-back doubles where they scored four runs and cut the deficit to 6–5.
Despite the surge, UNLV's bullpen settled in over the final innings. The Rebels provided crucial insurance in the top of the ninth. Barragan led off with a single, and the lineup loaded the bases with no outs. Jayden Hertel delivered an RBI single through the left side, and Salmon was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to force in another run, pushing the lead to 8–5. Utah Tech threatened one final time in the bottom of the ninth, scoring a run on an RBI single by Mays Madsen and bringing the tying run to the plate. However, UNLV closed the door with a strikeout and a groundout to seal the 8–6 win.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
-Drew Barragan has now reached base in all 36 games he has played in this season.
-Nin Burns II went 2-for-4 with two RBI and one walk.
-Jack Salmon recorded a 3-for-4 night with three singles, one RBI and a stolen base.
-Marcos Rosales and Drew Barragan also registered two hits in the contest.
-Barragan has reached base in all 36 games this season.
-Starter Yates Bland collected his fourth win of the season after going 3.0 innings giving up three hits, one strikeouts, no walks and no runs.
-Colton Sundloff struck out a season-high four batters in 2.2 innings of work.
-Ryan Marton earned his first save of the season.
UP NEXT: UNLV will open a three-game home Mountain West series with Washington State Friday, April 17 through Sunday, April 19. First pitch for games one and two will start at 6:05 pm, while the series finale will start at 12:05 pm.
