UNLV’s offense did more than enough to win on Saturday. The Rebels just could not stop Air Force long enough to cash it in.
UNLV scored 27 runs across two games at Erdle Field, including a stunning eight-run rally in the ninth inning of Game 1. It still was not enough. Air Force swept the doubleheader, beating the Rebels 18-16 in a walk-off opener before finishing the job with a 15-11 win in Game 2.
The losses dropped UNLV to 13-9 overall and 0-3 in Mountain West play. Air Force improved to 7-11 and 3-0 in conference.
Game 1 slips away twice
UNLV looked in control early in the opener.
Jack Salmon drove in Nin Burns II with a single in the second, then the Rebels scored three more in the third. Marcos Rosales lined an RBI double to left-center, Burns brought home another run on a groundout and Rosales later scored on a wild pitch to make it 4-1.
Then the game turned.
Air Force erupted for five runs in the fourth, highlighted by Landon Boyd’s grand slam, and added five more in the fifth to build an 11-5 lead. UNLV kept chipping away, though. Rosales had an RBI groundout in the fifth, Cooper Sheff launched a solo homer in the sixth and Reggie Bussey crushed a solo shot in the seventh to trim the deficit to 12-8.
That only set up the madness in the ninth.
UNLV exploded for eight runs in the top half. Burns started the push with a two-run single. Jonny Rodriguez followed with an RBI single. Sheff and Salmon each added run-scoring hits, Ayden Garcia lifted a sacrifice fly, Gunnar Myro tripled home another run and Bussey capped the rally with an RBI bunt as the Rebels grabbed a 16-12 lead.
Air Force answered again.
The Falcons scored three times to pull within one, then Luke Elmore blasted a three-run walk-off homer to right to end it. In a game that featured 34 combined runs, UNLV’s biggest rally of the day still was not enough.
Burns finished 3-for-4 with three RBIs and three runs scored in Game 1. Bussey went 3-for-5 with a homer, two RBIs and three runs. Myro added three hits, three runs, a double and a triple. Salmon had three hits and two RBIs, while Sheff went 2-for-5 with a homer and two RBIs.
Still, Air Force got six RBIs from Boyd and five from Elmore, which proved decisive.
Another hot start, another Air Force answer
Game 2 followed a similar script.
UNLV came out swinging again as Garcia hammered a three-run homer to deep right in the first inning for a 3-0 lead. Air Force answered with four in the bottom half, but the Rebels responded with a five-run third to jump back in front.
Burns delivered a sacrifice fly, Jayden Hertel drew a bases-loaded walk and Myro ripped a three-run double to shallow right as UNLV moved ahead 8-5. The Rebels stretched the margin to 9-5 in the fourth when Rodriguez reached on a throwing error that allowed Rosales to score.
But once again, the lead did not last.
Air Force put up five runs in the bottom of the fourth to retake control at 10-9. The Falcons added two more in the fifth on Kayden Bradshaw’s two-run homer, then broke it open in the seventh when Wyatt Hanoian lined a two-run triple to center as part of a three-run inning.
UNLV made one more push in the eighth. Burns tripled home a run and Sheff followed with an RBI single to cut the deficit to 15-11. That was as close as the Rebels would get.
Garcia went 3-for-5 with three RBIs in the second game. Burns added three hits, including a double and a triple, and drove in two. Myro had two hits and three RBIs, while Barragan scored three times. Sheff added an RBI and a walk.
Bats were loud, but the margin was thin
The ugly truth for UNLV is simple. Scoring 27 runs should win a doubleheader.
Instead, the Rebels gave up 33.
The offense showed plenty. Burns, Garcia, Myro, Sheff, Rosales, Salmon and Bussey all produced. UNLV also showed real fight, especially in the ninth inning of Game 1. However, too many free passes and too many big Air Force swings buried that effort.
That made Saturday a frustrating one for a UNLV club that hit enough to win, but could not get the outs it needed when the games flipped.
Up next
UNLV returns home Tuesday to open an 11-game homestand against Cal State Fullerton at Earl E. Wilson Stadium. First pitch is set for 6:05 p.m. in Las Vegas.
Related stories
Welcome to Dice City Sports — where we provide premium, exclusive, up-to-date news and analysis surrounding the Las Vegas sports scene. Follow along on social media, and check back for new articles daily!
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.
