LAS VEGAS, Nev. --- Ryan Kim homered for the Pilots and Beau Brundage finished with three hits, but the UNLV Rebels scored five runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to rally for an 8-7 win over Portland in a non-conference baseball game played on Wednesday afternoon at Wilson Stadium. The winning run came on a bases loaded walk.
 
Previously the Pilots (13-22) built and early lead, courtesy a five-run first inning. All nine Portland batters came to the plate during the frame, and Kim began the scoring with a solo home run, his third on the year. Brundage followed with a triple to the right-center gap, and Ryan Hoogerwerf provided an RBI single to make it a 2-0 game.
 
Chad Stevens then produced a run-scoring single, which came after Cody Hawken drew a walk, and Daniel Lopez pushed the score to 4-0 with a base hit to left-center field that scored Hawken. Collin Runge drove in the final run of the inning with a sacrifice fly.
 
The Rebels (28-12) got two back in the bottom of the frame, but the Pilots added another run in the second. This time Matt Kelly led off with a walk, stole second, moved to third on a ground out, and scored when Brundage bounced out to the short stop.
 
Now leading 6-2, reliever Tate Budnick took over on the mound for the Pilots and tossed 4.0 flawless innings of relief. He kept one of the top hitting teams in the country in-check, while fanning two. He didn't allow a single batter to reach base.
 
Portland added to their lead in the top of the ninth when Kelly scored Runge with an RBI single, but it wouldn't be enough as the Rebels scored five in the home half of the inning en route to the win.
 
All five runs in the ninth belong to reliever Connor Knutson (3-2), who took over on the mound to begin the inning. With one out, Cameron Richman spelled Knutson with the bases loaded and the Pilots clinging to a 7-5 lead, but the Rebels continued to produce to collect the come-from-behind victory.
 
Austin Anderson (3-1) was the last of eight UNLV pitches used on the afternoon, and he's awarded with the win.
 
The Pilots out-hit the Rebels 11-9, and Brundage raises his league-leading batting average to .400 on the season.
 
Portland next travels to Los Angeles for a three-game West Coast Conference series this weekend with the Loyola Marymount Lions. Friday's opener is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. at Page Stadium.