UNLV looked beaten for eight innings Sunday. Then Drew Barragan and Cooper Sheff flipped the whole afternoon in a matter of minutes.
The Hustlin’ Rebels scored five runs in the bottom of the ninth and walked off Milwaukee 8-7 at Earl E. Wilson Stadium. The win gave UNLV the series, 2-1, and moved the Rebels to 26-21 after a finish that went from flat to frantic fast.
Barragan carried the comeback
Milwaukee led 7-3 entering the ninth, but UNLV finally found the big inning it had been chasing all afternoon. Gunnar Myro opened it with a single, and Reggie Bussey followed with an RBI triple down the right-field line to make it 7-4.
Marcos Rosales walked, and Barragan did the rest. He launched a three-run homer to deep left, tying the game at 7-7 and giving the Rebels life. It was his second home run of the day and his biggest swing in a game full of them.
Sheff finished it
UNLV was not done after Barragan tied it. Nin Burns II walked, and Jonny Rodriguez reached on a Milwaukee error that moved Burns to third.
That brought Sheff to the plate with the winning run 90 feet away. Sheff lined a single to center, scoring Burns and setting off the walk-off celebration. The Rebels had scored five times before Milwaukee could record an out in the ninth.
Milwaukee controlled it early
The Panthers owned the first half of the game. Milwaukee scored three runs in the first and two more in the second, jumping ahead 5-1 before UNLV could settle in.
Barragan’s solo homer in the fourth cut it to 5-2, but Milwaukee answered in the fifth and added another run in the seventh to make it 7-2. UNLV picked up one run in the bottom of the seventh when Barragan walked with the bases loaded, but the Rebels still entered the ninth down four.
Bullpen kept it possible
The early hole was deep, but the bullpen kept UNLV close enough to make the comeback matter.
Jase Evangelista gave the Rebels 3.1 innings of relief after the rough start and allowed one run while striking out five. Felix Ong covered two innings, Colton Sundloff worked a scoreless eighth, and Jacob Gomberg handled the ninth.
Gomberg struck out two, picked up his first win at UNLV, and improved to 1-4.
Barragan’s monster day
Barragan finished 3-for-4 with two home runs, a walk, two runs and five RBI. The two homers pushed him to 11 on the season, and the five RBI gave him 52, both team highs.
He also extended his on-base streak. Barragan has reached base in all 45 games he has played this season and in 46 straight dating back to last season at Western Kentucky.
Series picture
UNLV took two of three from Milwaukee after winning Friday’s opener 14-4, dropping Saturday’s game, and stealing Sunday’s finale with the ninth-inning rally. Jayden Hertel went 3-for-4 in the finale, while Bussey and Sheff each had two hits.
The series win does not erase the weekend’s uneven stretches, but it gives UNLV a needed lift before its final nonconference test.
Up next
UNLV hosts BYU on Tuesday at 6:05 p.m. at Earl E. Wilson Stadium in its final nonconference game of the regular season. The Rebels then return to Mountain West play with a three-game road series at Fresno State from Friday through Sunday.
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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.
