SAN JOSE STATE SEEKS REBOUND AGAINST HOT UNLV BATS

LAS VEGAS (Interstat) — The San Jose State Spartans will look to salvage the finale of their Mountain West series against the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels on Sunday afternoon at Earl Wilson Stadium.

First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. PDT under partly cloudy skies with a game-time temperature near 89 degrees.

UNLV (16-10, 1-0 MW) dominated the series opener Friday, pounding out an 18-7 victory. The Rebels’ offense was led by second baseman Marcos Rosales, who went 4 for 5 with two home runs and six RBIs. Rosales is batting .500 (6 for 12) with three homers and 10 RBIs over his last three games.

San Jose State (11-13, 0-1) will aim to cool the UNLV bats behind a player who provided one of their few bright spots Friday: JC OsorioAgard. The Spartans’ first baseman hit a three-run homer in the loss and is 7 for 19 (.368) with two homers and seven RBIs in his last five contests.

The Spartans have shown resilience, winning three of their last five games, including an 18-6 road win at Santa Clara on Tuesday. UNLV has won four of its last six, with the offense averaging 12.3 runs per game in those victories.

According to Interstat’s game simulator, Sunday’s contest projects to be a tight one, with a predicted final score of 7-6 in favor of San Jose State.

Following the series, San Jose State travels to face Santa Clara on Monday. UNLV remains at home to host Cal State Bakersfield on Monday before a conference series against New Mexico next weekend.