UNLV leaves 13 on as BYU wins 5-2

The Rebels threatened again in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth, but could not cash in. Drew Barragan doubled in the third, Jayden Hertel doubled in the fourth, and UNLV put runners in scoring position in both the fifth and sixth. Each time, BYU’s bullpen found an escape.

Seventh inning decided it

UNLV’s staff pieced the game together well through six innings. Reese Lueck allowed one unearned run in two innings, and Gavyn Bowen, Tate Foxson, Cody Albright and Jacob Gomberg kept BYU off the board through the middle frames.

The game turned in the seventh. LJ Manning entered with the score tied and did not record an out. BYU opened the inning with a walk, a double and another walk before Bryker Hurdsman singled to left to score two runs. Crew McChesney followed with an RBI single, and a passed ball brought in another run to make it 5-1.

Felix Ong entered and stopped the inning there, then worked two scoreless frames. Ryan Marton added a scoreless ninth, but the damage had already been done.

Chances went missing

UNLV had enough baserunners to make this a different game. The Rebels finished with nine hits and six walks, but BYU kept finding the pitch it needed with runners on.

Hertel led UNLV with a 3-for-3 night, a walk and a run scored. Jack Salmon went 2-for-5 and drove in UNLV’s second run with an eighth-inning single. Gunnar Myro added a hit and a walk, while Barragan doubled and walked to extend his on-base streak.

The eighth gave UNLV one last real push. Hertel singled, Myro reached on an infield hit, and Salmon singled home Hertel to cut the deficit to 5-2. The Rebels moved two runners into scoring position on a wild pitch, but back-to-back strikeouts ended the threat.

Barragan streak continues

Barragan went 1-for-4 with a double and a walk. He has now reached base in all 46 games he has played this season and in 47 straight dating back to last season at Western Kentucky.

The loss dropped UNLV to 26-22. BYU improved to 24-23.

Up next

UNLV returns to Mountain West play this weekend with a three-game road series at Fresno State. The series opens Friday at 6:05 p.m., continues Saturday at 3:05 p.m. and wraps Sunday at 12:05 p.m. in Fresno, California.