Rebels get sweep of Falcons, but still face long road to avoid play-in game

UNLV still has plenty of work to do if the Rebels want to avoid the play-in game at next month’s Mountain West baseball tournament. But they now at least have a shot, thanks to a weekend sweep of Air Force.

The Rebels pulled off the three-game sweep with Sunday’s 6-5 victory at Wilson Stadium, clinching it when closer Brayden Torres struck out Tyler Jones on three straight pitches with runners at the corners.

UNLV (19-23, 6-15 MW) moved to within 2½ games of the fifth-place Falcons (19-23, 10-14). The top five teams automatically qualify for the main double-elimination conference tournament. Even winning the play-in game puts great stress on a pitching staff because the rotation gets thrown off and the bullpen can get taxed.

To get out of the bottom two, UNLV needs to continue to build on this recent momentum of having won four of five games. The Rebels next host UC Riverside at 3:05 p.m. Tuesday, and then they return to conference play with a three-game series beginning Friday at San Diego State (29-16, 16-8).

They have nine Mountain West games remaining before the conference tournament begins May 20 in Reno. So the Rebels not only need to finish strong but receive help from some of their competitors.

“We’re behind the 8-ball on that, so we’re just going to have to wait on that,” UNLV interim coach Stan Stolte said. “We’re going to play where they tell us. We’re not going to worry about it.”

UNLV received solid pitching and timely hitting to beat Air Force in the series finale.

Right-hander Blaze Bohall (5-2) overcame early troubles to keep UNLV in the game. He walked the bases loaded in the first inning, but didn’t give up a run. Bohall then allowed single runs in the second and third innings before settling down and keeping Air Force scoreless in the fourth and fifth.

He said he made a mechanical adjustment, and Bohall has adapted similarly in other starts in what has been a strong freshman season.

“That’s something I’ve worked with Stolte in the bullpen,” Bohall said. “It really does give me confidence to go into a situation like that and know what I’m doing wrong and fix it on my own.”

His work allowed the Rebels’ offense to catch Air Force.

UNLV tied the game in the third on RBI singles by Edgar Montes and Erik VanMeetren. Then the Rebels plated four runs in the fifth for a 6-2 lead, with Montes doubling in a run, Dylan Ellis driving in two more on a double and VanMeetren delivering a run-scoring single.

They needed all of those runs.

Bohall ran into trouble in the sixth, allowing a triple to Russell Williams to score a run with two outs. His shot to left field looked as if it was headed over the left-field wall for a home run, but the 20 mph crossing wind blew the ball back onto the field.

That hit ended Bohall’s day, but Williams scored on reliever Cody Roper’s wild pitch. Roper, though, got the final out of the inning, and then Joey Lauria and Torres closed out the final three innings for the victory, with Torres picking up his third save.

For a team that has lost 10 one-run games, the Rebels got one back.

“We’ve lost so many one-run games, it’s hard to keep mentally focused,” said UNLV second baseman Payton Squier, who went 4-for-4 and scored twice. “But, hopefully, we can keep the same energy.”

Contact Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow him on Twitter: @markanderson65.