UNLV made the road win harder than it needed to be, but it still left St. George with a result that mattered.
The Rebels beat Utah Tech 8-6 on Tuesday night at Bruce Hurst Field, closing a five-game road trip with a 4-1 mark and moving to 22-15 on the season. UNLV built a 6-0 lead through four innings, watched Utah Tech storm back within one in the sixth, then found two big insurance runs in the ninth. Yates Bland improved to 4-0, and Ryan Marton locked down the final three outs for his first save.
Third and fourth innings built the cushion
After two quiet innings, UNLV broke through in the third and did most of its damage with two outs.
Gunnar Myro started the rally with a single, Marcos Rosales followed with a double, and Drew Barragan was intentionally walked to load the bases. Ayden Garcia then worked a bases-loaded walk to force in the first run, and Nin Burns II lined a two-run single up the middle to make it 3-0.
The Rebels kept pressing in the fourth. Jack Salmon doubled to open the inning, and after Gavin Taylor walked, Myro reached on an error that brought home Salmon. Rosales added an RBI single, and Jonny Rodriguez followed with another run-scoring hit as the lead grew to 6-0.
Utah Tech made its move in the sixth
For a while, it looked like UNLV might cruise.
Bland handled the first three innings without allowing a run, and Felix Ong limited the damage in the fourth and fifth. Then the sixth inning changed the feel of the game. Utah Tech put together five hits in the frame, including doubles by Ty Johnsen and Finnegan Stewart, and suddenly the Trailblazers had scored four times to cut the lead to 6-5.
That was the danger point of the night. UNLV had controlled most of the game, but one messy inning turned it into a real fight.
Bullpen steadied the finish
The Rebels did settle down from there, and that was a big reason they got out with the win.
Colton Sundloff entered during the sixth-inning trouble and helped stop it from getting worse. He went 2.2 innings and struck out four, keeping Utah Tech off the board in the seventh and eighth. Marton then took the ninth, allowed one run, and finished it before the tying run could do any damage.
That relief work mattered because the game had started to tilt. Utah Tech had all the momentum in the sixth, but UNLV’s bullpen pushed it back the other way.
Ninth inning gave UNLV room
The Rebels finally got their breathing room in the ninth.
Barragan opened the inning with a single, Garcia walked, and Burns drew another free pass to load the bases with nobody out. Jayden Hertel followed with an RBI single through the left side, and Salmon was then hit by a pitch to force in another run and make it 8-5.
Utah Tech answered with one run in the bottom half, but it was not enough.
Several bats carried the offense
UNLV had production up and down the lineup. Salmon went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a stolen base. Burns finished 2-for-4 with two RBI and a walk. Rosales and Barragan each had two hits, while Garcia reached base three times and drove in a run. Hertel and Rodriguez also added RBI hits.
The Rebels finished with 13 hits and five walks, which gave them just enough offense to survive the rough sixth inning.
Up next
UNLV returns home to open a three-game Mountain West series against Washington State on Friday 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.
