PHOENIX, Ariz. (UNLVRebels.com) - UNLV baseball delivered one of its most impressive wins of the season, taking down No. 20 Arizona State, 7-5, on the road at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. The ranked victory was the first by UNLV over a nationally ranked squad since the 2025 edition knocked off then-No. 25 Indiana twice (Feb. 14/17) and No. 25 Cincinnati (Feb. 22), and it was the highest over a top-20 club since 2019's 2-1 upset of then-No. 5 Stanford (Feb. 23).
HOW IT WENT DOWN: After falling behind 1-0 in the opening inning, UNLV (19-14) quickly flipped the momentum in the third. Following a leadoff walk by Reggie Bussey, Marcos Rosales crushed a two-run homer to deep left field, his seventh of the season, to give the Scarlet & Gray a 2-1 lead it would not relinquish. The Hustlin' Rebels broke things open in the fourth inning with a three-run surge. Jayden Hertel and Jack Salmon set the table before Gavin Taylor delivered the big blow, roping a two-RBI double to left to extend the lead. Moments later, an Arizona State (24-10) error allowed another run to score, pushing the advantage to 5-1.
UNLV added insurance in the fifth when a wild pitch brought home
Jonny Rodriguez, making it 6-1. Rodriguez played a key role again in the ninth, laying down a sacrifice bunt that scored Rosales for a crucial insurance run, stretching the lead to 7-5. Arizona State chipped away late, scoring once in the fifth and mounting a two-run rally in the seventh aided by a UNLV error and a passed ball. The Sun Devils pulled within one in the eighth after an RBI double, but the Rebel bullpen held firm when it mattered most.
A combination of Colton Sundloff, Tate Foxson, Jacob Gomberg, LJ Manning and Jase Evangelista navigated the middle and late innings, with Evangelista shutting the door in the eighth and ninth inning. Evangelista came in to relieve Manning in the bottom of the eighth inning up 6-5 with one out, and the Riverside, California native struck out the first two batters he faced. After allowing a two-out single in the bottom of the ninth inning, the right-hander induced a game-ending strikeout to secure the upset victory.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
-Marcos Rosales led the Rebel offense going 2-for-5 with his team tying-high seventh home run of the season and team-high 15th double of the season.
-Rosales has recorded a pair of hits in three straight games.
-Colton Sundloff was credited with his second win of the season after going 2.0 innings where he gave up one hit, one earned run with no walks and two strikeouts.
-Drew Barragan extended his on-base streak to 17 games.
-Gavin Taylor collected his third two-hit game of the season.
-Jayden Hertel went 2-for-4 and has a five-game hitting streak.
-UNLV and No. 20 Arizona State both led eight runners on base.
-The Hustlin' Rebels' ranked win against the Sun Devils is the highest ranked win since 2019 when they defeated No. 5 Stanford 2-1.
UP NEXT: UNLV will remain in Phoenix where they will face Grand Canyon April 10-12, with games one and two scheduled for 6 pm, while game three will start at 12 pm.
