Jonny Rodriguez and Ayden Garcia supplied the power, and UNLV built a six-run cushion early before holding off Western Michigan for a 9-5 win Tuesday night at Earl E. Wilson Stadium.
Rodriguez homered in the second and drove in three total runs. Then Garcia added a solo shot in the fifth as the Rebels improved to 6-2.
Western Michigan collected 11 hits and kept coming late. However, Reese Lueck and the UNLV bullpen did enough to close the door. Lueck earned the win to even his record at 1-1 on the season.
Rodriguez starts it, third inning breaks it
Western Michigan threatened right away with two hits in the first. Still, the Broncos did not score.
UNLV struck first in the second. Rodriguez launched a solo homer to deep right to make it 1-0.
The Hustlin’ Rebels then opened the game in the third with five runs.
Jack Salmon walked and Reggie Bussey walked to set the table. Next, Marcos Rosales doubled to center to drive in Salmon. After that, Garcia lifted a sacrifice fly to left to score Bussey.
Drew Barragan followed with an RBI single to left-center, and Rosales scored. Then Rodriguez doubled to left-center for two more runs, scoring Barragan and Nin Burns II. As a result, UNLV led 6-0 after three.
Garcia adds insurance, Broncos push back
Western Michigan got on the board in the fifth on Michael Maloney’s sacrifice fly.
UNLV answered right back in the bottom half. Garcia homered to right to restore a six-run edge at 7-1.
The Broncos made their biggest push in the sixth. Josh Polubinski scored on a play that included a throwing error by Burns and a throwing error by Lueck. Then Diego Pena singled in another run to cut it to 7-3.
UNLV steadied itself in the seventh with two more. Cooper Sheff lifted a sacrifice fly to score Garcia. Then Salmon singled to right-center to bring in Barragan and make it 9-3.
Western Michigan trimmed it again in the eighth on Drew Howard’s two-run single, but the rally stopped there.
Arms finish it
Lueck earned the win with 5.2 innings, allowing three runs, two earned, on eight hits with one walk and five strikeouts.
LJ Manning worked 2.0 innings and allowed two runs on one hit with one walk and four strikeouts. Jase Evangelista recorded the final four outs, allowing two hits with two strikeouts.
Garcia went 2-for-3 with a home run, two RBIs and two runs scored. Rodriguez finished 2-for-4 with a homer, a double and three RBIs. Barragan went 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored, while Salmon added two hits and an RBI.
Up next
UNLV (6-2) closes its two-game set with Western Michigan on Wednesday, Feb. 25 at 12:05 p.m. PT at Earl E. Wilson Stadium. The game will stream on YouTube.
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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.
