The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) baseball team lost both games of a doubleheader to Air Force on March 14, with final scores of 18-16 and 15-11 at Erdle Field.
The losses mark a challenging weekend for the Rebels, who saw late-game leads slip away in both contests. The results leave UNLV with a record of 13-8 overall and 0-3 in Mountain West play, while Air Force improves to 6-11 overall and 3-0 in conference.
In the first game, UNLV built an early lead but fell behind after Air Force’s Landon Boyd hit a grand slam. The Rebels staged a dramatic eight-run rally in the ninth inning to take a four-run lead, only for Air Force’s Luke Elmore to hit a three-run walk-off home run that sealed an 18-16 win for the Falcons. The second game followed a similar pattern: UNLV jumped ahead early with Ayden Garcia’s three-run homer but could not hold off multiple big innings from Air Force. Despite late efforts by Nin Burns II and Cooper Sheff, the Rebels were unable to close the gap.
Head Coach Stan Stolte said, “Disappointed in the outcome this weekend but not in the effort and fight the kids had in them in really difficult non-baseball playing conditions. It was like playing on the moon. The amount of walks we allowed that eventually scored has really made it extremely difficult on us.”
Several players posted strong individual performances across both games. Burns II went a combined 4-for-8 with three runs batted in, two runs scored, one triple and one walk. Garcia finished with four runs batted in and two runs scored, including one home run. Reggie Bussey collected four hits and scored three times while Rosales also contributed four hits.
Looking ahead, UNLV will return home for an extended stretch at Las Vegas Ballpark beginning with a midweek matchup against Cal State Fullerton on Tuesday, March 17.
