UNLV saved its regular-season finish for Senior Day, walking off San Diego State 9-7 in 10 innings Saturday at Earl E. Wilson Stadium to win the series and clinch the No. 6 seed in the CU1 Mountain West Baseball Championship.
Connor Tallakson opened the 10th with a single, and Gunnar Myro ended it one batter later, launching a two-run homer to deep center. The win moved UNLV to 30-24 overall and 11-13 in Mountain West play.
Myro delivers the finish
The game had already swung hard both ways before Myro ended it. UNLV led 3-1 after three innings, fell behind 6-3 after San Diego State’s five-run fourth, then charged back with four runs in the seventh.
Myro started that seventh-inning rally with a walk. Reggie Bussey followed with a bunt single, Marcos Rosales loaded the bases with another single, and Drew Barragan brought in a run with a sacrifice fly. Nin Burns II doubled home another run before Jonny Rodriguez singled to left, scoring Rosales and Burns to give UNLV a 7-6 lead.
San Diego State tied it in the eighth, but the Rebels kept the game alive long enough for Tallakson and Myro to finish it in the 10th.
Burns carries the offense
Burns was the engine for UNLV, going 4-for-5 with a homer, double, three runs and three RBI. He gave the Rebels a 3-1 lead in the third with a two-run homer to deep left, then delivered the RBI double in the seventh that helped power the comeback.
Cooper Sheff opened the scoring for UNLV in the second with an RBI single that brought home Burns. Rodriguez added two RBI, Rosales finished with two hits and two runs, and Barragan extended his on-base streak with a ninth-inning single after earlier driving in a run with the sacrifice fly.
Bullpen keeps Rebels alive
Yates Bland started for UNLV on Senior Day, but San Diego State’s fourth inning changed the game. The Aztecs scored five runs in the frame, helped by two UNLV errors and a wild pitch, to take a 6-3 lead.
Ryan Marton steadied the game from there, throwing 4.2 innings and allowing one run while striking out six. LJ Manning worked a scoreless ninth, and Josh Donegan escaped a bases-loaded jam in the 10th to earn the win.
Senior Day mattered
UNLV honored Ayden Garcia, Jack Salmon, Parker Dillhoff, Nicky Garritano, Reggie Bussey, Reese Lueck, Yates Bland, Drew Barragan, Nin Burns II, Cody Albright, Colton Sundloff, Jaylen Jones and Connor Tallakson before the regular-season finale.
Several seniors were right in the middle of the win. Burns had four hits and three RBI, Bussey helped start the seventh-inning rally, Barragan drove in a run and kept his on-base streak alive, Garcia singled as a pinch hitter, Garritano entered as a pinch runner, Tallakson singled ahead of the walk-off homer, and Bland started on the mound.
Tournament bound
UNLV finished sixth in the Mountain West standings at 11-13, tied by record with San José State and Grand Canyon but earning the No. 6 seed through tiebreakers San Diego State won the regular-season title at 16-8, followed by Washington State and Air Force at 15-9.
The Rebels will open the CU1 Mountain West Baseball Championship against No. 3 Air Force at 1:05 p.m. PT Thursday, May 21, at Sloan Park in Mesa, Arizona. The winner advances to face No. 2 Washington State on Friday at 6:05 p.m. PT.
The walk-off gave UNLV a series win over first-place San Diego State and sent the Rebels into the postseason with one of their biggest wins of the year.
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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.
