NCAA baseball

UNLV ties it late, but Fresno State answers to take wild 14-13 finale

UNLV erased a five-run deficit and tied the game in the eighth, but Fresno State responded with three runs and escaped a late ninth-inning push to win 14-13.

by
Mark Hebert
May 11, 2026

UNLV infielder Drew Barragan (#5) throws across the infield during an early-season game, with a teammate set behind him on the dirt.

UNLV third baseman Drew Barragan (5) makes a throw across the diamond during an early-season game. Image by Mark Hebert — Dice City Sports

UNLV had the comeback swing, the late push and the tying run close enough to make Fresno State sweat Sunday afternoon, but the Rebels could not finish the rally in a 14-13 loss at Pete Beiden Field at Bob Bennett Stadium.

The Hustlin’ Rebels still took the weekend series 2-1, but the finale got away after Fresno State scored eight runs in the fifth inning and answered UNLV’s game-tying eighth with three runs of its own.

Early lead disappears

UNLV struck first when Reggie Bussey doubled and scored on a Fresno State error in the opening inning. After the Bulldogs tied it in the third, the Rebels answered in the fourth when Gavin Taylor launched a three-run homer to left, scoring Jonny Rodriguez and Jack Salmon for a 4-1 lead.

We're underway in Fresno as Reggie Bussey gets us going with a first pitch double!!!

📺 MWN pic.twitter.com/XftUHojEL1

— UNLV Baseball (@unlvbaseball) May 10, 2026

The Rebels added two more in the fifth. Nin Burns II singled in Marcos Rosales, and Jayden Hertel drove in Burns with a groundout to make it 6-1.

Then the game flipped. Fresno State sent 12 batters to the plate in the bottom of the fifth, scoring eight runs on seven hits. Marcus Nolen delivered the biggest blow, a three-run homer that gave the Bulldogs a 9-6 lead.

Rebels punch back late

Fresno State stretched the lead to 11-6 in the seventh on back-to-back homers from Michael Boyd and Owen Faust, but UNLV was not done.

Hertel opened the eighth with a double, and Salmon followed with a two-run homer to cut the deficit to 11-8. Gunnar Myro singled, Bussey walked, and Drew Barragan tied the game with a three-run homer to deep center.

Barragan reached on an error in the first inning, keeping his season-long on-base streak alive, then delivered the swing that pulled UNLV all the way back.

Fresno State answers again

The tie did not last. In the bottom of the eighth, Faust hit his second homer of the game, a two-run shot that put Fresno State back in front. Austin Young later added an RBI single, pushing the Bulldogs’ lead to 14-11.

UNLV still made one final run in the ninth. Rodriguez homered to right to make it 14-12, and Myro singled in Hertel to cut it to one. But Fresno State escaped with the tying run aboard.

J-Rod keeps rolling

Rodriguez continued his huge weekend, finishing 2-for-4 with a homer, a double, two runs and an RBI. After his three-homer game Saturday, Rodriguez finished the Fresno State series with five home runs and 13 RBI.

Taylor drove in three with his homer, Barragan finished with four RBI, Salmon added two RBI, and Hertel and Myro each had two hits.

Up next

UNLV returns home for its final regular-season series, hosting San Diego State from Thursday through Saturday at Earl E. Wilson Stadium.

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.