Drew Barragan gave UNLV the first jolt. Jase Evangelista delivered the last outs.
Barragan homered in the first inning, and Evangelista locked down the final 2.2 innings as the Hustlin’ Rebels snapped a three-game skid with a 4-3 win over Cal State Fullerton on Tuesday night at Earl E. Wilson Stadium.
As a result, UNLV improved to 14-8. Cal State Fullerton fell to 10-10.
Early swing, then a grind
UNLV struck first in the opening frame. Barragan launched a solo home run to deep left for a 1-0 lead.
After that, the game slowed into a pitching battle. UNLV cycled arms early, and the Rebels kept Fullerton from finding a crooked number through six innings.
Still, UNLV did leave chances on the table. The Rebels managed seven hits, but only one walk. Even so, the lineup manufactured one more in the fifth.
Myro did it twice
Cooper Sheff singled to start the fifth, then moved into scoring position. Jack Salmon followed with a single, and UNLV had runners on the corners.
Next, Gunnar Myro lifted a sacrifice fly to center. Sheff scored to make it 2-0. However, Salmon was thrown out at the plate on the same play, and the inning ended in a double play.
That sequence mattered later, because the Titans eventually found life.
The seventh inning decided it
Fullerton tied the game in the seventh. A leadoff single from Max Ortega turned into trouble after a throwing error moved him up. Then Hunter Meyer drove in a run with a single up the middle. Soon after, Cameron Kim singled to center to tie it 2-2.
UNLV answered immediately.
Ayden Garcia singled, and Nin Burns II followed with another single. After that, Sheff knocked his second hit of the night to load the bases.
Then Salmon showed patience. He drew a bases-loaded walk to force in Garcia for the go-ahead run. Next, Myro bounced a ball to short, and UNLV still got a run home on the fielder’s choice. Burns scored, and an error extended the play to push the lead to 4-2.
Evangelista held on
Fullerton did not go quietly. Paul Contreras homered to deep center in the eighth to cut it to 4-3.
But Evangelista never let it swing again. He earned the win to improve to 3-0 after working 2.2 innings in relief. He allowed one run on three hits, walked one, and struck out four.
UNLV’s staff struck out 12 Titans in all, including two from starter Ryan Marton in a clean opening inning.
Barragan went 2-for-4 with the home run. Sheff finished 2-for-3 and scored once. Myro did not record a hit, but he drove in two runs with the sacrifice fly and the fielder’s choice.
Up next
UNLV returns home this weekend for a two-game set against Utah Tech. The series opener is Saturday, March 21 at 6:05 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.
