Bryant’s power trip home doesn’t thwart Rebels

San Diego third baseman Kris Bryant quickly got ahead 3-0 in the count on his first at-bat back in his hometown.

Take the next pitch, no matter the location?

Not a chance.

Bryant had the freedom to swing away, and he did, fouling off the pitch. He then hit a flair into right field for a single, going to second on an error.

Considering what he’s done, Bryant has earned the freedom to swing at what he wants. He entered Monday’s 12-10 loss to UNLV at Wilson Stadium with a nation-leading 23 home runs — more than 211 Division I teams.

Against the Rebels, the Bonanza High School graduate added his 24th and 25th homers, including one on a shot to dead center field 410 feet away. Bryant, who is 6 feet 5 inches, 215 pounds, finished 3-for-5 with three RBIs.

“It was awesome because I haven’t been here in three years,” Bryant said. “I got to see some family and friends. I kind of wish it was a little more than one day, but I made the most of it. It’s a shame we didn’t get a win out of it, but I had a good time.

“My grandparents were here. They haven’t seen me play since high school. It was just a fun day for me. I’m happy I did well.”

Bryant is a junior, but the chances of him returning for his senior season are like the odds of Oklahoma City winning the NBA title without Russell Westbrook.

A candidate for the Golden Spikes Award, which goes to college baseball’s best player, Bryant is generally considered a top-10 draft prospect. In March, Sports Illustrated projected him to go seventh. If such projections are accurate, Bryant said he couldn’t turn down the opportunity to leave early.

“That’d be a little silly if I didn’t” go pro, he said. “But it’s getting so close, I’m trying to slow everything down here and have a lot of fun.”

It was UNLV (31-17) that had the most fun Monday, outslugging the Toreros (28-21) and picking up what could be a key victory in the Rebels’ quest for an NCAA regional. The Rebels entered the game with a No. 84 Ratings Percentage Index ranking, and San Diego’s was No. 50.

Senior Brandon Bayardi came a double from hitting for the cycle in his final home game, going 4-for-6 with six RBIs, a home run and a triple.

“For him to be able to do that in his last game on this field was pretty cool,” UNLV coach Tim Chambers said.

Even though the Rebels had 16 hits, pitching might have been the reason they won. John Richy came out of the bullpen to throw the final 6 2/3 innings, allowing four hits and two runs to shut down a San Diego team that scored eight runs in the first three innings.

“John Richy was really, really good today,” Chambers said. “We were in the dugout and saying, ‘OK, Bryant’s leading the (ninth) inning off. Throw him strikes. If he hits it out, he hits it out. If you walk him, it’s a rally.’ ’’

Bryant homered, but UNLV was the team that walked off with the victory.

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