UNLV paired early offense with sharp, hit-limiting pitching to open the 2026 season with a 7-3 win over Austin Peay on Friday night at Earl E. Wilson Stadium.
Carson Lane and Jase Evangelista combined to allow just three hits, and the Rebels built a six-run lead by the fifth before finishing off the Governors in front of 836 fans.
Bussey jumpstarts the night
Reggie Bussey was on base all night, and it showed up immediately.
Bussey and Marcos Rosales opened the bottom of the first with back-to-back walks. Then Nin Burns II punched a single to right to load the bases. Jonny Rodriguez followed with a groundout to second that still did damage, bringing home Bussey for the season’s first run.
UNLV kept adding in the second. Jack Salmon singled, moved up, and scored when Bussey dropped a sacrifice bunt that plated another run for a 2-0 lead.
Salmon runs, Rosales rips
The Rebels turned the third into another scoring inning. Cooper Sheff singled, and Salmon drove him in with a triple to center to make it 3-0.
Austin Peay’s best early push came in the fourth when Ty Wisdom doubled and advanced to third on a throwing error. However, Lane stranded him there and kept the shutout intact.
Then UNLV delivered the decisive burst in the bottom half. Gunnar Myro was hit by a pitch and Bussey walked again. Rosales jumped on a pitch and doubled down the right-field line to score both runners. The throw allowed Rosales to take third, and Sheff cashed in right after with an RBI single up the middle. As a result, UNLV carried a 6-0 lead into the fifth.
Lane to Evangelista, no panic
Austin Peay finally cracked the scoreboard in the fifth on Zion Taylor’s two-run single. Still, the damage stopped there, and Evangelista entered with two outs to steady the inning.
Lane went 4.2 innings, allowing two runs on two hits with two walks and six strikeouts. Evangelista earned the win by finishing 4.1 innings with one run on one hit, two walks and five strikeouts.
UNLV tacked on an insurance run in the sixth in a rare way. With runners moving on a balk, Ayden Garcia came home to push the lead to 7-2.
Taylor doubled in a run in the seventh to cut it to 7-3. After that, Evangelista retired the side in order in both the eighth and ninth to close the opener.
Salmon led UNLV at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a triple, an RBI, a walk and a run scored. Rosales drove in two and reached base three times with a double and two walks. Sheff added a 2-for-4 line with an RBI and a walk.
Up next
UNLV and Austin Peay return Saturday, Feb. 14 for a doubleheader at Earl E. Wilson Stadium. Game 2 is set for 12:05 p.m. PT, with Game 3 scheduled to begin about 30 minutes after Game 2 ends. The series finale is Sunday, Feb. 15 at 12:05 p.m. PT.
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Dice City Sports editor Mark Hebert covers the Vegas Golden Knights, Las Vegas Raiders, Athletics, and UNLV baseball and softball. He has 24 years of journalism experience, is also a senior reporter at Exhibit City News, and previously covered the Dallas Stars and Texas Rangers. Follow him on X or connect on LinkedIn.
