UNLV baseball reaches tourney title game with come-from-behind win

By Ric Anderson

Saturday, May 24, 2014 | 12:10 a.m.

Late-inning heroics kept the UNLV baseball team on an inside track for a Mountain West Conference Tournament title Friday.

Down 4-1 to San Diego State in the eighth, the Rebels drew even on a two-out, three-run homer by center fielder Edgar Montes.

Then, after holding the Aztecs scoreless, the Rebels got an RBI hit from leadoff batter T.J. White for a 5-4 victory. The hit, White's fourth of the night, scored Matt McCallister, who'd boarded on a walk and advanced on a wild pitch.

With the win, the Rebels advance to the championship game at 7 p.m. Saturday at Wilson Stadium against either UNR or San Diego State. At 3 p.m. Saturday, UNR-San Diego State play for the last spot in the title game of the double-elimination tournament.

After a late start when the previous game went extra innings, UNLV got an early lead on catcher Erik VanMeetren's two-out RBI single in the first inning.

But San Diego State tied the game in the fourth, then pulled ahead an inning later when a pair of UNLV errors led to two runs.

UNLV starter Bryan Bonnell went 6 2/3 innings, striking out six. Relievers Joey Lauria and Brayden Torres held the Aztecs scoreless as the Rebel offense came to life.