A night after getting thumped 15-1, UNLV came back with the kind of response it needed Friday.
The Hustlin’ Rebels beat first-place San Diego State 3-1 at Earl E. Wilson Stadium, using Nin Burns II’s solo homer, a two-run fifth inning and a strong pitching combo from Carson Lane and Jase Evangelista to even the series.
Burns gets UNLV started
Burns put UNLV ahead in the second, driving a solo homer to deep left for a 1-0 lead. It was his ninth home run of the season and one of two hits for Burns, who finished 2-for-4.
The Rebels added the separation they needed in the fifth. Jack Salmon walked, Gavin Taylor was hit by a pitch, and Gunnar Myro moved both runners over. Reggie Bussey followed with an RBI double to left, and Marcos Rosales added an RBI double to right center to make it 3-0.
Lane works through traffic
San Diego State had chances early, but Lane kept finding his way out.
The Aztecs left three runners on in the first, stranded Jake Jackson at third in the third and left two more in scoring position in the fourth after a UNLV error and two stolen bases. Lane answered those spots with outs, giving UNLV five scoreless innings.
Lane earned the win after allowing three hits and four walks while striking out five.
Evangelista shuts it down
San Diego State finally broke through in the sixth when Tyce Peterson homered to deep center off Evangelista, cutting UNLV’s lead to 3-1. The Aztecs threatened again in the same inning, but UNLV turned a key double play to keep the lead at two.
From there, Evangelista controlled the finish. He worked four innings, allowed one run on three hits, walked one and struck out six to earn his fourth save.
Streaks stay alive
Drew Barragan kept his on-base streak alive with a fifth-inning walk. He has now reached base in all 51 games he has played this season, with a 52-game streak dating back to last season at Western Kentucky.
Myro also extended his hitting streak to 15 games with a 1-for-3 night.
Standing watch
UNLV improved to 29-24 overall and 10-13 in Mountain West play. The Rebels are tied with San José State and Grand Canyon by conference record, with one regular-season game left.
A win Saturday would secure UNLV’s clearest path into the Mountain West tournament field.
Up next
UNLV closes the regular season Saturday against San Diego State at Earl E. Wilson Stadium. First pitch is 12:05 p.m. PT, and the Rebels will also celebrate Senior Day.
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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.
