LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - In a game that featured momentum swings and plenty of offense, UNLV baseball powered past New Mexico 15-10 in the opening game of the series on Thursday night at Earl E. Wilson Stadium.
HOW IT WENT DOWN: After falling behind early, UNLV (18-12, 3-4 MW) responded with relentless offensive pressure, scoring in five different innings and piling up 15 runs on the night. New Mexico (17-11-1, 3-3-1) struck first in the second inning when Brodey Williams launched a three-run homer to deep left, giving the Lobos a 3-0 advantage. But UNLV wasted little time responding. The Scarlet & Gray answered with a four-run bottom of the second, highlighted by RBI singles from Jayden Hertel and Jack Salmon, along with a sacrifice fly from Marcos Rosales to take a 4-3 lead.
UNLV kept its foot on the gas in the third inning. Nin Burns II sparked the rally with a solo home run before Salmon delivered an RBI double and Gunnar Myro added a run-scoring single. A sacrifice fly from Jonny Rodriguez and a passed ball capped a five-run frame, extending the Rebels' lead to 9-3. Hertel continued his big night in the fourth, blasting a two-run homer to push the advantage to 11-3. However, the Lobos refused to go away. New Mexico erupted for six runs in the fifth inning to cut the deficit to 11-9. Khalil Walker's two-RBI single and an RBI knock from Anthony Diaz highlighted the rally.
UNLV responded once again in the bottom half of the sixth. Cooper Sheff drove in a run with a single, and Hertel added a sacrifice fly to bring home another, making it 13-9. The Lobos added a solo home run from Luke Mansy in the seventh to trim the lead to three, but the Rebels delivered the knockout blow in the bottom of the inning. Ayden Garcia crushed a two-run homer to left field, extending the lead to 15-10. From there, UNLV relief pitcher Jase Evangelista held New Mexico scoreless over the final two innings, closing out the win.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
-Jayden Hertel combined to go 3-for-4 with his first career Hustlin' Rebel home run, along with a pair of singles and four RBI
-Drew Barragan's 14-game hitting streak came to an end, however, his one walk allowed him to extend his on-base streak to 15 games.
-Ayden Garcia's sixth home run of the season is tied with two others for second on the team.
-Cooper Sheff went 3-for-3 with one walk and one RBI, and he hit his first triple of the season in the seventh inning.
-Jack Salmon upped his batting average to .363, good enough for second on the team as the left fielder went 3-for-3 with three RBI and one walk.
-LJ Manning was credited with his first win in the Scarlet & Gray after going 2.0 innings where he one hit on one earned run with one walk and three strikeouts.
-Eight of the nine starters for UNLV recorded at least one RBI.
UP NEXT: UNLV remains at Earl E. Wilson Stadium to continue its three-game series with two more against New Mexico. Friday's game is slated for 6:05 pm, while Saturday's finale will get going at 12:05 pm.
