LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - Behind a sharp outing on the mound and timely extra-base hitting, the UNLV baseball secured a 3-1 victory over the San Diego State Aztecs baseball in game two of their Mountain West series Friday night at Earl E. Wilson Stadium. With the win tonight, the Scarlet & Gray are one win away from earning the No. 6 seed at the CU1 Mountain West Baseball Championship next week in Mesa, Arizona. If UNLV, Grand Canyon and San Jose State all lose tomorrow, UNLV will earn the spot at next week's MW tournament by virtue of the Rebels owning the tiebreaker with the Lopes and Spartans.
HOW IT WENT DOWN: UNLV (29-24, 10-13 MW) used a solo home run from Nin Burns II and a two-run fifth inning to build enough separation before closing the door late behind strong relief pitching. The Rebels struck first in the second inning when Burns II launched a solo homer deep to left field, giving UNLV an early 1-0 advantage. The blast proved important in what quickly developed into a pitcher's duel. San Diego State (33-21, 16-7 MW) threatened multiple times early against UNLV starter Carson Lane but could not capitalize. The Aztecs stranded three runners in the opening inning and left runners in scoring position again in the third, fourth and fifth innings as Lane repeatedly worked out of trouble.
SDSU's Jake Jackson doubled and advanced to third on a wild pitch in the third inning, but Lane escaped with a strikeout and groundout to preserve the lead. In the fourth, San Diego State put runners on second and third with one out after a UNLV error and a pair of stolen bases, yet the Rebels again stranded both runners thanks to consecutive strikeouts. The Scarlet & Gray finally created breathing room in the fifth inning. Jack Salmon drew a walk and Gavin Taylor was hit by a pitch to ignite the rally. After Gunnar Myro advanced both runners with a groundout, Reggie Bussey ripped an RBI double to left field to make it 2-0. Marcos Rosales followed immediately with another double into right center, plating Taylor and pushing the lead to 3-0.
The Aztecs answered in the sixth when Tyce Peterson hammered a solo home run to deep center field off reliever Jase Evangelista, trimming the deficit to 3-1. San Diego State threatened for more in the inning after a throwing error and a walk loaded traffic on the bases, but UNLV turned a key inning-ending double play off the bat of Jackson to halt the rally. Lane and Evangelista combined to hold San Diego State to just six hits while striking out 11. Evangelista was particularly effective in the late innings, recording crucial strikeouts in the seventh, eighth and ninth while retiring the final six Aztec hitters to finish the game.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
-With Drew Barragan's walk in the fifth inning, the redshirt senior has now reached base in all 51 games he has played in this season and has an on-base streak of 52 games dating back to his time at Western Kentucky last season.
-Gunnar Myro now has a 15-game hitting streak with his 1-for-3 night.
-Nin Burns II hit his ninth home run of the season in the second inning.
-Burns II and Rodriguez collected a pair of hits apiece.
-Reggie Bussey and Marcos Rosales also collected a hit of their own.
-Carson Lane collected his third win of the season as the junior went 5.0 innings giving up no runs, three hits, four walks and five strikeouts.
-Jase Evangelista earned his team-high fourth save of the season where he threw the final four innings giving up three hits, one earned run, one walk and a season-high six strikeouts.
UP NEXT: UNLV will play the rubber match on Sunday, May 16 at 12:05 pm, where the Hustlin' Rebels will also celebrate Senior Day recognizing their 12 seniors.
