UNLV spent most of Friday night digging out of a hole, and the comeback stopped one run short.
New Mexico scored four times in the first inning, regained the lead in the fifth, and held on for a 7-6 win at Earl E. Wilson Stadium. The Rebels outhit the Lobos 10-6 and erased a four-run deficit by the third, but they could not push back in front. Parker Dillhoff took his first loss of the season and fell to 3-1.
Early mistakes changed the game
The first inning put UNLV in chase mode right away. Karsen Waslefsky reached to open the game, moved up on a wild pitch and a passed ball, and scored on Lenny Junior Ashby’s sacrifice fly. Damian Garcia then drove a two-run homer to left. After that, Luke Mansy reached on a throwing error by Dillhoff, and another throwing error, charged to Ayden Garcia during a stolen-base sequence, helped New Mexico stretch the lead to 4-0.
That was the problem for UNLV all night. The Rebels gave away too many extra chances. New Mexico scored seven runs on only six hits, while UNLV finished with four errors, two passed balls and two wild pitches.
UNLV fought back fast
The Rebels answered well and nearly flipped the game. Garcia got UNLV on the board with a sacrifice fly in the first. In the second, Jayden Hertel and Jack Salmon opened with singles, Marcos Rosales lined an RBI single to right, and Jonny Rodriguez added a sacrifice fly to cut it to 5-3.
UNLV pulled even in the third. Nin Burns II singled, Cooper Sheff walked, Hertel moved both runners over with a bunt, and Salmon delivered again with a two-run single through the right side to tie the game at 5-5. It was a smart stretch from the Rebels, who used contact and situational hitting instead of waiting for one big swing.
Corkrean changed the middle innings
Once UNLV got even, New Mexico’s bullpen took over. Cooper Corkrean replaced Cristian Mogen in the third and settled the game down for the Lobos. He gave New Mexico 4.2 scoreless innings and kept UNLV from building on its momentum.
That gave the Lobos room to reclaim the lead in the fifth. Waslefsky reached on an error by Sheff, stole second, moved to third on a passed ball, and scored on Ashby’s RBI double down the right-field line. The run was unearned, but it still gave New Mexico a 6-5 lead, and UNLV never quite got back over the top.
Donegan gave UNLV a real chance
Josh Donegan did his part to keep the game within reach. He relieved Dillhoff in the sixth and threw three scoreless innings, allowing only one hit while striking out two. He worked around another Sheff error in the sixth and stranded Mansy after a one-out triple in the eighth.
That outing gave UNLV a clean path into the ninth, but New Mexico scratched out an insurance run anyway. Jacob Gomberg took over, walked Akili Carris, and later allowed an RBI single to Waslefsky that made it 7-5. In a one-run finish, that extra run loomed large.
The final push ran out of room
UNLV still made one more push in the bottom of the ninth. Drew Barragan opened with a single, and Garcia followed with another hit to put runners on the corners. Gavin Taylor came on as a pinch runner, and Burns lifted a sacrifice fly to right to trim the deficit to 7-6.
That put the tying run on first with one out, but Sheff grounded into a game-ending double play. The Rebels kept creating chances, but they never got the one clean hit that would have fully changed the night.
Salmon and Rosales paced the lineup
Salmon and Rosales were the steadiest bats in the order. Salmon went 2-for-4 with two RBI, including the game-tying hit in the third. Rosales finished 2-for-4 with a walk and an RBI, while eight of UNLV’s nine starters recorded at least one hit.
That is what made the loss sting. The Rebels had enough offense to win, but they left nine men on base and went 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Between the missed chances and the extra outs handed away on defense, the margin ended up too thin.
Up next
UNLV and New Mexico meet in Saturday’s rubber match at 12:05 p.m. PT at Earl E. Wilson Stadium.
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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.
