ST. GEORGE, Utah (UNLVRebels.com) - A fast start wasn't enough for UNLV on Tuesday night, as Utah Tech responded with a relentless offensive surge to hand the Rebels an 8-3 defeat at Bruce Hurst Field.
HOW IT WENT DOWN: UNLV (24-20) wasted no time grabbing momentum in the opening inning. After Marcos Rosales reached and moved into scoring position on an error, Drew Barragan delivered a two-run homer to left-center, giving the Rebels a quick 2-0 advantage. That lead, however, evaporated just as quickly. Utah Tech (29-16) answered in the bottom half of the first, capitalizing on a wild pitch to even the score at 2-2. RBI singles from Ryan Kroepel and Ty Johnsen, followed by a two-run knock from Bryan Martinez, pushed Utah Tech in front 5-2.
The decisive blow came in the fourth. After a leadoff triple by Kroepel and an RBI single from Johnsen extended the lead, Finnegan Stewart broke the game open with a two-run home run to left-center, stretching the margin to 8-2.
UNLV struggled to generate offense after the first inning, managing just one run the rest of the way. The Rebels' lone later tally came in the sixth, when Cooper Sheff doubled to set up an RBI groundout by Jack Salmon, trimming the deficit to 8-3. Despite collecting hits in scattered innings, UNLV couldn't string together a sustained rally.Â
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
-With Drew Barragan's two singles, the redshirt senior has now reached base in all 43 games he has played in this season and has an on-base streak of 44 games dating back to his time at Western Kentucky last season.
-Marcos Rosales also tallied a pair of hits.
-Both teams struck out eight times.
-UNLV used six pitchers, while Utah Tech used eight pitchers.
UP NEXT: UNLV will open up a four-game homestand, beginning with Milwaukee, May 1-3. Games one and two will start at 6:05 pm, while game three will be scheduled for an 11:05 am start time.
