LAS VEGAS (Interstat) — In a wild, back-and-forth offensive showcase that defied pregame projections, Cal State Bakersfield outslugged UNLV 17-14 on Monday night at Earl Wilson Stadium.

The game, which featured 30 combined hits and 31 runs, saw the Roadrunners snap a two-game skid and improve to 11-16. UNLV fell to 17-12. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a low-scoring 7-4 victory for the Runnin’ Rebels, who were given a 71.6% probability to win.

The most critical sequence of the game came in the top of the eighth inning, with Cal State Bakersfield clinging to a 10-8 lead. The Roadrunners erupted for seven runs to seemingly put the game out of reach at 17-8. The inning was a marathon of patience and timely hitting, featuring three hit batters, two walks, a wild pitch, a balk and four key hits. Nick Mascaro delivered the biggest blow, a two-run double, while Elijah Pelayo and pinch-hitter Elgin Bennett added RBI singles. Bennett would later score on a sacrifice bunt.

Pelayo, named the top star for Cal State Bakersfield, broke out of a recent slump in a major way, going 4 for 6 with three RBIs. His performance was a stark contrast to his previous three games, where he had managed just one hit in nine at-bats.

UNLV refused to go quietly, mounting a furious rally in the bottom of the ninth. Trailing by nine, the Runnin’ Rebels sent nine men to the plate and scored six runs, turning a blowout into a nail-biter. The inning included a solo home run by Rodriguez, an RBI triple by Drew Barragan and a two-run homer by Cooper Sheff. The Rebels brought the tying run to the plate with one out, but reliever Jack finally halted the comeback, inducing a groundout to first to end the game after a pitching change.

The offensive fireworks overshadowed a game that was tight through seven innings. UNLV’s Gavin Taylor, entering as a pinch-hitter in the fourth, provided a major spark off the bench, going 2 for 3 with a home run, a double and four RBIs. Barragan also had a strong night for the Rebels, finishing a triple shy of the cycle with three hits and two RBIs.

For the Roadrunners, Devon Wilkes homered and drove in three runs, while Mascaro collected four RBIs on two doubles. Bennett, in his two pinch-hit appearances, went 2 for 2 with two RBIs and two stolen bases.

Both teams used six pitchers in a game that lasted well over three hours. Cal State Bakersfield’s bullpen, despite the late scare, managed to secure the final outs after UNLV had chipped away at deficits all night. The Rebels had previously answered a two-run Roadrunner top of the seventh with two runs of their own in the bottom of the eighth to stay within striking distance before the decisive Bakersfield eighth.

Cal State Bakersfield opens a three-game home series with Utah Valley on Thursday. UNLV remains at home to begin a series against New Mexico on Thursday.